Everybody Lies
by EliteGough1998
Summary: After killing a Queen Nevermore, Team DARK is sent to Vacuo on a one-way mission to stop an outbreak of Grimm Hybrids. During their journey, they unexpectedly crashed in the middle of a forest and are separated into pairs. Now, they must fight to survive in the wild against a new, unstoppable and ruthless enemy while trying to reunite and find safety from the Grimm Infection.
1. Rhapsody

_**Alright, if you've never read one of my stories before, please read the authors note at the end of the chapter.**_

* * *

 _Is this the real life?  
_ _Is this just fantasy?  
_ _Caught in a landslide,  
_ _No escape from reality._

* * *

David's eyes shot open and he quickly got up off the floor. Without even needing to see it, he could tell the room was filling with smoke, a large fire spreading near him. He got up, tried to run over to the door, but winced in pain, a piece of metal had embedded itself in the back of his left knee. He ignored the pain and limped over to the metal door, pulling on it, but it was jammed. David coughed as the smoke spread throughout the room and banged on the door.

"Hello! Is anyone out there!" He yelled as loud as he could, banging on the door again. No response came. "Damn it." David cursed to himself, and took out his energy sword, activating it. He stuck it into the door frame and cut around the diameter of the door until he reached the starting point. He deactivated his sword and with his other arm, pushed with his telekinesis and the door flew off the wall, a bright light shining in his eyes.

David shook his head to remove the disorientation and walked through the door, now exposed to sunlight as he looked at the wreckage around him. The airship that had been used to move him and the rest of his team from Vale to Vacuo was a wreck, scattered pieces of the ship around the now cleared area of a dense forest, multiple trees having been chopped down or simply crushed by debris. David took a deep breath of fresh air and skidded down the chunk of the airship, landing on the ground with a thud, his left leg in pain. He reached for his walkie-talkie and held it to his mouth.

"Indiana, come in." He spoke, but after several second s was only met with static. "Indiana, did you catch up to Samantha? Is she alive?" David asked, more worry in his voice, but was met again with static. "Indiana, come in!" Static. David sighed and attached the walkie-talkie to his belt. "Shit." He gazed up to the sky to see the trail of smoke caused by the airship's crash. His thoughts were immediately interrupted by a sudden realisation. "Anna!" He sprinted as fast as he could to the largest piece of debris and climbed to the top, looking around the area for his teammate. "Anna! Anna!" David yelled, hoping for a response of any kind. He stopped when he saw her surrounded by debris on the outskirts of the wreckage. She wasn't moving.

David leapt off the debris and ran towards Anna, telekinetically moving pieces of debris out of the way and fell to his knees when he reached her. A large amount of blood was leaking from a gash on her forehead, staining her hair and the ground beneath her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her onto his lap, he shook her slightly, hoping for her to wake up. "Come on, Anna. Not now. Come on." He pleaded, holding her tightly as he shook her a little more. "Wake up!" David yelled, desperate not to lose her, but she remained still. He held her tightly as he waited for anything to happen. "No... please, no..." He hugged her tightly, unable to let her go.

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER ONE**

* * *

 **DAY 1**

* * *

David slowly opened his eyes, looking out of the window of the airship as he yawned loudly, stretching in his bed. He glanced at the clock next to the bed, which read 9:14, which then turned to 9:15. On a regular day at Beacon Academy, most students would be all dressed, has breakfast and likely be at lessons for this time, but this wasn't the case. You see, David wasn't at Beacon, not any more, at least, since he and his team had all been sent on a mission to Vacuo with an undetermined completion date, with orders to investigate and eliminate sighing of Grimm Hybrids spotted in Vacuo.

This hadn't been their first run-in with Grimm Hybrids, one had been created with the soul purpose to fight David and steal his AI, Epsilon, which had been a success on the Grimm's hand. However, after a daring assault on a white fang base, they defeated the Grimm Hybrid, Crane, and retrieved Epsilon. Now, they were all on an airship bound for Vacuo after leaving Beacon several days ago.

David got out of his bed, stretched and walked over to the window, leaning in the window frame, looking down at the vast, dense forest beneath them. They were a few miles from the point of no return, roughly half way between Vale and Vacuo, no safety of the kingdoms, or any safety at all, for miles upon miles in any direction. David leant away from the window and grabbed a towel, taking a quickly shower, and changed into his combat outfit. A black, long sleeves fleece shirt with pitch black combat trousers, a bright yellow trim along the length of each leg, a set of black combat boots and golden polarized goggles. He walked over to the nearby table, grabbing and sheathing a pair of daggers, put on his dust-infused black fingerless gloves, attached his walkie-talkie to his belt on the left side and attached his energy sword to his belt on his right side.

"Do you ever realise how much black you wear?" Anna asked David, catching his attention as she leant on the door frame. She was wearing her combat outfit, a black skin tight full body suit, skin-tight brown trousers with a black belt, a brown leather jacket which cut off just above her waist, and a selection of necklaces around her neck. Attached to her back was a 'X' shaped sheath with two katanas inside, both ready to be drawn.

"You're hardly one to talk, your entire body, save your head, is covered in black. Even your hair is black." David pointed out to her, which she responded by rolling her eyes, walking over to him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting breakfast, or something?"

"What? Am I not allowed to see my boyfriend this early in the morning?" Anna teasingly asked, wrapping her arms around David's back, leaning slightly on his chest. "Besides, I'm getting real sick of being in the air all the time."

"Its only been a week or so." David reminded her.

"Yeah, it doesn't sound like much when you say it, but a _week_ is much longer when it's actually been a week." She said annoyingly, letting go of David and walking away a little in annoyance. David sighed and walked up to her.

"Come on, let's just get some breakfast, Indiana and Samantha are probably already there." David suggested and they both left his room, hands interlocked.

* * *

Indiana leant back on the cafeteria chair, reading his scroll as he ate his cereal, wearing his combat outfit. A black fleece jacket with a missing right sleeve, revealing his metal replacement limb, along with a pair of dark blue cargo trousers and long, dark blue boots and a navy blue fingerless glove on his right hand. Leaning against the table was his weapon, which after many modifications, became an assault-rifle-grenade-launcher-knife combination, called the 'Knifle' by his younger, 13 year old, teammate who sat opposite him.

Samantha carefully stacked another waffle from one stack onto another stack, her tongue sticking out a little from the corner of her mouth, then proceeded to stack another. She, like the rest of her team, was in her combat outfit. A pink vest with a short sleeves white leather jacket, her emblem printed on her back, with a short pink skirt and white leggings with white trainers and a pair of orange fingerless gloves. On both of her forearms were a pair of white gauntlets, each with four retractable blades inside each gauntlet. Leaning on the table was her high-powered white and pink sniper rifle. Indiana glanced up at Samantha, and raised an eyebrow.

"Samantha, what... are you doing?" He asked her slowly as Samantha stacked another waffle.

"Well, I love waffles, but the stacks are never high enough. So, I ordered my breakfast and David's breakfast in order to stack them on top of each other, satisfy my hunger." She explained to him.

"You told David this, right?" He asked.

"Oh, umm, yeah... yeah, he said he wouldn't be hungry..." Samantha said slowly.

"Did I now?" David asked as he and Anna entered the airships cafeteria, greatly shocking Samantha, causing Indiana to chuckle as he continued reading his scroll. "And for your information, Samantha, I'm not actually that hungry-"

"See, no harm done!" Samantha interjected.

"-but I'll just take one." David finished with a small smirk, sitting down at the table next to Indiana, Anna sitting opposite him with an apple.

"No! Stay away from my waffles!" The young huntress yelled, moving her arms defensively to guard them. Anna glanced at David, who nodded to her, and she reached behind Samantha and grabbed one of her waffles, tossing it to David, who caught it in the air with his telekinesis.

"Thanks Anna." He thanked her, and she winked with a small smirk. Samantha's eyes widened.

"Nooooo! My waffle!" She cried, slamming her head on the table as tears threatened to escape from her eyes. Indiana looked away from his scroll and at Samantha.

"Samantha, it was _one_ waffle, you can share one." He told her.

"But... waffle..." She muttered sadly.

"Oh, grow up, you act like such a child sometimes." Indiana muttered, looking back at his scroll.

"I'm 13." Samantha deadpanned, deciding to eat the remaining waffles. David leaned over to Indiana's scroll.

"What's happened?" David asked.

"Well, according to this, Beacon was recently attacked." Indiana told the team.

"What? By who? White Fang?" Anna asked.

"No, it says they were attacked by robots, controlled by a bigger, more sophisticated robot." Indiana stated, catching the teams full attention. "Yeah, the robots attacked the cafeteria, but the students at Beacon managed to destroy them without any casualties. It says they were led by a new student called 'Epsilon Xiao Long', he destroyed the main robot, stopping all the other ones."

"Huh, I guess Epsilon is dealing with the problem." David noted, taking a bite of the waffle. "Any news from Vacuo about the Hybrids?"

"One second..." Indiana tapped a few buttons on is scroll. "Uhh... no, everything seems fine in Vacuo. I guess their government is covering it up to prevent panic."

"Seems reasonable." Anna noted, taking a bite of her fruit. "So what's Vacuo like?"

"No idea. I've never been. You?" David asked Indiana, who shook his head. "Samantha?" She shook her head, mouth filled with waffles. "I guess dad's been before, but as far as I know, it's a desert."

"Great, we get to spend our foreseeable future as hunters in a frickin' desert." Indiana complained.

"Oh, come in, it's not _that_ bad. It'll be fun, to see new places." Samantha tried to cheer him up.

"We were barely in Beacon for half a year, and we're forced to leave. Besides, a forest is definitely better than a desert." He complained again. "It's Ironwoods fault, we saved Beacon from a Queen Nevermore, and _this_ is how we're rewarded."

"You know why we're here." David said to him. "Grimm Hybrids are a new threat, nobody knows about them besides us. They're a threat that most hunters cannot deal with, and will only cause the people to panic. More panic will lead to more Grimm. If we can't deal with them, nobody can."

"Did you practice that speech, or on the spot?" Anna asked, amused.

"Oh, I rehearsed in front of the mirror every night." He joked.

"I guess." Indiana sighed. "Maybe Vacuo isn't that ba-"

The wall of the cafeteria smashed open, metal shrapnel flying across the room as a figure leapt in and slammed a large broadsword at us, smashing the table and knocking us all across the room. David quickly rolled back to his feet to see the attacker.

"Crane." David glared coldly, the Grimm Hybrid growling at him with a devilish grin. In its right hand was it's broadsword, a shield in its left arm, the Hybrids body embedded with metal shards to protect its body and it's red and white eyes holding a hard stare.

" _ **You left me for dead, now it's time for payback!**_ " Crane yelled, slashing his broadsword at David, who back flipped out of the way. David activated his energy sword, running at Crane and attacking, distracting the Grimm so Anna, Indiana and Samantha could gather their weapons. David slashed at Crane's chest, scratching the metal but leaving Crane undamaged. Crane swung his sword at David, who ducked under the sword, and Crane slammed his shield into David's chest, sending to the ground with a thump.

"David!" Anna yelled, angrily turning to Crane and unsheathed her katanas, yelling as she ran at him and sliced at his chest, slipping them through the cracks and breaking the skin, black blood staining Anna's katanas as Crane clutched his chest. Indiana cocked his rifle and fired at Crane, who lifted his shield to block the bullets. Indiana threw his assault rifle as Crane, who stopped it with his shield, the knife end of the weapon burying in the shield.

Crane threw the shield onto the ground, Indiana's gun falling out of the shield. Indiana lunged at the Hybrid, swinging his metal limb at it, but Crane caught his fist with its own fist, yelling a growl as Crane threw Indiana across the room. Samantha loaded her sniper rifle and aimed at Crane's forehead. The Grimm turned to her and raise his broadsword, and Samantha fired, the bullet piercing Crane's skull and passed through and destroyed his left eye, a large hole in its head.

Crane roared in pain and charged at Samantha, who fired a couple more shots into Crane's left leg and chest, until Crane grabbed her by the neck and threw her as hard as he could into the side of the airship, she broke through the wall and was sent flying through the sky.

"Samantha!" Indiana yelled, arm outstretched. He turned and glared at Crane, running into the Grimm and tackling it to the ground. Indiana got off the Grimm and desperately turned to David.

"Go! Get Samantha!" David ordered him, lunging at Crane with his sword. Indiana grabbed his weapon and a parachute and jumped out of the hole in the wall. Crane waved his arm to the side, slamming David into the wall and he fell to the ground again. He summoned a dust-pistol and shot several bullets at Crane, burning into his chest, distracting it as Anna sliced Crane's back. The Grimm roared in pain, turning around and slamming his broadsword down onto Anna, who stopped the blade with her two katanas. She pushed her arms up, forcing the broadsword away and kicked Crane in the chest, causing him to fall down a set of stair and into another room. Anna turned and ran over to David, helping him up.

"Are you alright?!" Anna yelled over the sound of the air rushing through the room.

"I'm good!" David assured her. "Where's Crane?!" Anna turned to the stairs and they both ran to them, Crane was missing. "Why would he leave?" At that moment, the lights went off and the ship went silent.

"Oh no." Anna said quietly.

"What?" He asked. Anna turned to David

"Crane's disabled the ship." Anna told him, and the airship started to nosedive to the ground. David and Anna quickly ran and grabbed onto the door frame to keep them on the ground. They looked at each other as many objects in the cafeteria started to slide towards the front end of the room as the airship continued descending. The door slammed shut, forcing both of them to let go. David reached and grabbed onto the table, and reached for Anna, but missed.

"Anna!" David yelled as Anna continued falling downwards and through another door, which slammed shut behind her. David looked out the hole in the wall to see that the ship was mere seconds from impact. He braced himself.

 **CRASH!**

* * *

David's eyes shot open and he quickly got up off the floor. Without even needing to see it, he could tell the room was filling with smoke, a large fire spreading near him. He got up, tried to run over to the door, but winced in pain, a piece of metal had embedded itself in the back of his left knee. He ignored the pain and limped over to the metal door, pulling on it, but it was jammed. David coughed as the smoke spread throughout the room and banged on the door.

"Hello! Is anyone out there!" He yelled as loud as he could, banging on the door again. No response came. "Damn it." David cursed to himself, and took out his energy sword, activating it. He stuck it into the door frame and cut around the diameter of the door until he reached the starting point. He deactivated his sword and with his other arm, pushed with his telekinesis and the door flew off the wall, a bright light shining in his eyes.

David shook his head to remove the disorientation and walked through the door, now exposed to sunlight as he looked at the wreckage around him. The airship that had been used to move him and the rest of his team from Vale to Vacuo was a wreck, scattered pieces of the ship around the now cleared area of a dense forest, multiple trees having been chopped down or simply crushed by debris. David took a deep breath of fresh air and skidded down the chunk of the airship, landing on the ground with a thud, his left leg in pain. He reached for his walkie-talkie and held it to his mouth.

"Indiana, come in." He spoke, but after several second s was only met with static. "Indiana, did you catch up to Samantha? Is she alive?" David asked, more worry in his voice, but was met again with static. "Indiana, come in!" Static. David sighed and attached the walkie-talkie to his belt. "Shit." He gazed up to the sky to see the trail of smoke caused by the airship's crash. His thoughts were immediately interrupted by a sudden realisation. "Anna!" He sprinted as fast as he could to the largest piece of debris and climbed to the top, looking around the area for his teammate. "Anna! Anna!" David yelled, hoping for a response of any kind. He stopped when he saw her surrounded by debris on the outskirts of the wreckage. She wasn't moving.

David leapt off the debris and ran towards Anna, telekinetically moving pieces of debris out of the way and fell to his knees when he reached her. A large amount of blood was leaking from a gash on her forehead, staining her hair and the ground beneath her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her onto his lap, he shook her slightly, hoping for her to wake up. "Come on, Anna. Not now. Come on." He pleaded, holding her tightly as he shook her a little more. "Wake up!" David yelled, desperate not to lose her, but she remained still. He held her tightly as he waited for anything to happen. "No... please, no..." He hugged her tightly, unable to let her go.

Anna's eyes shot open as she gasped loudly, talking in a large breath of air. David looked down at her with a huge grin, hugging her tightly.

"Anna! I thought I'd lost you." He thanked as she hugged him back.

"Gonna take more than a crashed airship to stop us, right?" She asked.

"Right." He agreed, letting her go as she leant back, kneeling opposite him. "Are you alright?"

"No, my heads really hurting." Anna admitted, rubbing her forehead, recoiling after feeling the blood.

"Your aura must have drained, wait here." David instructed her as he limped over to a piece of the crashed airship and opened the door. He walked in and scanned the room for a first-aid kit, quickly finding one attached to the wall in the corner of the room. He grabbed it and exited the room, sitting down opposite Anna and opening the kit. "I'm gonna have to clean your head wound, might have to bandage it if it's really severe."

"Okay." Anna acknowledged, using her hand to push her hair out of the way of her forehead. David opened up a towelette and wiped the blood from Anna's head, she remained still despite stinging a little. He disposed of the towelette and looked at the wound.

"It's not too bad, some gauze will be good enough." David told her, and she nodded. He took out some of the gauze and attached it to her forehead wound, adding some adhesive tape to keep it attached to her head. "That aught to do."

"Thanks." Anna thanked, giving David a quick kiss. "I noticed you were limping, what's the matter?"

"Oh, bit of metal stuck in my leg. It's too dangerous to remove now, could be worse than we think. Right now, we need to find Indiana and Samantha, see where they are and if they managed to land safely." David explained to her.

"Right, best we regroup. This area's not safe anyway, could be Grimm nearby." She agreed, she got up first and offered a hand, helping me to my feet. "They fell before we crashed, so we need to head east." We walked towards the back of the debris when a thought occurred. "Have you seen Crane?"

"No... crash would have killed it, best case scenario anyway." David told her.

"And worst case?" She asked.

"Crane survived." He stated. "I'd rather not find out, so let's get ahead, just in case." The two continued waling east, unaware of the banging on the door of a section of the airship.

* * *

David and Anna continued waling through the dense, seemingly empty forest, following the direction the sun was giving them. Luckily, they hadn't encountered any Grimm, but neither of them let their guard down. As Anna continued onward, she looked back to see David moving behind at a slower pace. "You okay?"

"I just... need a second." David told her, attempting to ignore the pain every time he put pressure on his left leg. He walked over to a rock and slumped down onto it, taking a deep sigh of relief. Anna looked around the forest, eyes narrowed. "You feel it too?"

"Yes. I can't help but feel we're being watched..." Anna responded, looking through the dense forest. David sighed and looked down at his left leg, the piece of metal sticking out. It hurt him just to think about it. David pushed himself back to his feet, walking towards Anna.

"Alright, I'm good. Let's keep movi-" Crane jumped out of the dense forest and slammed his shield into David's back, sending him flying across the forest. Anna's first instinct was to turn invisible, using whatever aura she had to activate her semblance. She crept around a group of trees to get behind Crane, unsheathed her left katana in her left hand, and lunged. Crane sensed the movement and spun around, slashing his clawed hand downward, digging into Anna's left arm, tearing open the black sleeve covering her arm and leaving a deep gash. Anna screamed in pain as she fell to the floor, her invisibility deactivating as she closed her right hand over the wound to try and stop blood from escaping. She turned and looked as Crane approached her, dragging is broadsword, she tried to crawl away, but the pain in her arm was too unbearable. Crane stood next to the defenceless huntress and raised his broadsword, and swung it down.

Just before the sword hit Anna, David held his arm out, telekinetically stopping the broadsword in it's tracks. Crane growled and threw his shield at David, who raised and activated his energy sword, slicing the shield in half when it reached him. As David got to his feet, Crane grabbed him by the shoulders and head-butted David, knocking to the floor, the hybrid grabbing his deactivated energy sword, crushing it in his hand with ease. Crane put his right foot on David's chest, pinning him to the floor as he swung his broadsword at David's head. David reached down and pulled out the piece of metal from his left leg, stabbing it into Crane's right leg, causing the hybrid to miss the swing and collapse to his knees. Crane yelled in anger and closed his fist around David's neck.

" _ **Pathetic Inhumans, both of you. And I was hoping for a challenge.**_ " Crane taunted, tightening his grip as David pulled on Crane's arm to try and get free. " _ **You're a fool. No man can kill me. Die now.**_ "

" _You're_ a fool." Anna said to the Crane, causing the Grimm Hybrid to turn around to her. She swung her right katana at its head, decapitating the Hybrid as it's lifeless body fell to the ground. "I am no man." Anna fell to the ground, exhausted. David pushed the Hybrid away from himself and Anna as he moved over to her.

"Crazy day, huh?" David jokingly asked.

"Definitely." Anna agreed, laughing a little, stopping when the pain in her arm returned.

"Oh fuck, this doesn't look good." David stated, looking at the deep gash in Anna's left arm. He took out the rest of the gauze and wrapped it around her forearm, stopping the bleeding. He added the bandages over the top to keep the gauze attached. "Hopefully your aura will fix this in a couple of days."

"Hopefully. At least that chunk of metal is out of your leg now." Anna noted.

"But my sword..." David picked up the now unusable energy sword, too broken to reactivate. He pocketed it. "It's too dangerous to leave here. It'll have to be disposed of properly." Anna nodded. "We still need to find Indiana and Samantha. Can you walk?"

"I might need help." Anna told him truthfully. David helped her to her feet, she wrapped an arm around the back of his neck to support herself.

"Hey." David said, catching Anna's attention. He leant over and gave her a kiss, which she returned. "We're going to be alright, this is just a minor setback, and a victory. Without Crane, there hybrids will be leaderless, should be a breeze."

"Yeah, but it's a long way to Vacuo." Anna reminded.

"Well, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." David said, and they continued walking east to find the rest of their team.

* * *

 **END OF CHAPTER ONE**

* * *

 _Too late, my time has come,  
Send shivers down my spine, Body's aching all the time,_  
 _Goodbye, everybody, I've got to go,_  
 _Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth._

* * *

 _ **Right, just in case you're confused, please be aware this story is NOT the first one in it's universe. If you haven't read any of my other stories, you must read "A Special Semblance" before reading this, reading "Life on Remnant" will help, but isn't necessary. **_

_**Reading "Almost One of a Kind" isn't necessary now, but at around half-way through this story, I'd recommend reading at least the last 3 or 4 chapters, just so events add up in this story.**_

 _ **Please, don't think negatively of this story if there are things you don't understand. It is crucial to read the previous stories before reading this one.**_

 _ **You've been warned.**_

* * *

 **Hey, everyone, it's finally here, the next chapter in my elaborate and over-the-top story! So, with Volume 2 in a mess with either being completed, or on hiatus (depending on what happens in RWBY Volume 4), I decided now was the time for this story for one major reason: It doesn't effect future events.**

 **You see, this story is both a sequel, and a prequel. A Sequel to "A Special Semblance", but a prequel to "Almost One of a Kind". This story is basically the middle man, it bridges the gap between the two. During Volume 2, there were hints and name-drops to David and his team, and other OC's who knew him, and, you know, David did turn up at the end of the story... Anyway, this is what happens between David and the rest of Team DARK leaving for Vacuo, and David fighting during the Battle of Beacon.**

 **These are the changes from Volume 1 & 2 to Volume 3...**

 **1) This story is almost entirely OC driven, I plan to have one canon character turn up later, but everyone else will be OC's. Don't expect Team RWBY or Team JNPR, they're hanging out with Epsilon before the tournament happens.**

 **2) This story is Rated M. At this time, several themes will come up in the latter half of this story that haven't really been explored before in Volume's 1 and 2. I won't say what they are, but there's a reason why this story is M rated.**

 **3) Again, unlike the previous stories, this fanfiction is 100% planned, I've created the storyline, every major OC, everything for this story has been set in motion months ago. I know exactly which direction this fanfiction will go, and personally, it's better than anything I've written beforehand. So far, I plan to have 13-14 chapters, but might change due to the ending of RWBY Volume 3.**

 **4) This entire story is in the third person, David is still the protagonist, but this story doesn't focus entirely on him. Also, I learnt a lesson from the last few chapters of Volume 2, when Epsilon was barely in it, that being in the first person can be pain when they aren't there.**

 **Now that the chapter is finished, remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and thank you for reading the first chapter of "Everybody Lies"**


	2. Arsonist's

**_Song from Previous Chapter:_**

 ** _"Bohemian Rhapsody"_**

 ** _Artist - Queen_**

* * *

 _When I was a child, I heard voices...  
Some would sing and some would scream,  
You soon find you have few choices...  
I learned the voices die with me._

* * *

Anna put on her right boot, tying it and put on her left boot, tying it, standing from the bed and sighed, wiping a strand of hair from her face. She winced in pain a little, feeling the infection in her left arm causing her pain. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Open the doors!" David yelled from outside the barn, Anna opening her eyes and turning towards the door surprised. She got up, leapt off the platform and ran over to the barns door' opening it. Anna stepped back in fear of what was ahead of her: her boyfriend running away from a large group of infected humans. David ran into the barn and they both pushed the door shut, the infected pushing against the door, trying to force themselves into the barn. Anna glanced backwards and to David.

"Hold the door, I'll get something to brace it." Anna told him, he nodded, pushing against the door again. Anna ran to the back of the barn and grabbed a large piece of wood, trying to lift it, but winced in pain in her left arm, faltering and dropping the wood. David looked back to see Anna struggling, opened the door slightly and slammed it shut, knocking the infected back and onto the floor. He ran over to the wood brace and dragged it over to the door as it started to open. Anna got up and ran over to the door, holding it shut as David lifted and put the brace against the doors, keeping t closed.

"This won't hold long." David told her, and turned to her. "We need to destroy the barn, set it on fire, kill or distract those- those things."

"What are those things?" Anna whispered in fear.

"I don't know, they're _dead_. They won't die if you shoot them or stab them, unless it's in the brain." He told her. "We need to get away from them, burn them to nothing."

"I'll get the dust." Anna told him, running to the ladder, climbing up and ran into the room, grabbing the suitcase and opening it, taking the containers of powdered dust. She dropped down off the platform and handed a container to David and they both opened them, moving backwards across the barn floor while pouring the powdered dust on the floor. They threw the empty canisters on the floor. "What now?"

"I'll remove the brace from the door, letting them in. You hide behind the right door as it opens and stay back while I draw them towards me. When they're all inside, close the doors from the outside and jam it shut with something. I'll climb up the ladder onto the platform and shoot the dust, and jump out the back of the barn. Meet me at the back." David instructed her, and she nodded, moved towards the door, but stopped, pulling David into a strong kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Be safe." Anna told him, pulling away.

"I always do." David said with a smirk, Anna pulling away and moving against the wall of the barn. David grabbed the brace and pulled it off the door, the infected forcing the doors open, the right door closing on Anna, and stumbled into the barn, David moving back. "Come on! Come on!" David yelled, backing up to the ladder as the infected followed him inside. Anna quietly moved around the door and pulled it closed as she left the barn, grabbing the left door and closing it too. She unsheathed her katana and jammed it between the doors, sealing it. Anna turned towards an infected behind her growling, unsheathed her other katana and sliced it's head off. She looked down at the disembodied head, still growling at her, and stabbed her katana through the infected's eye, killing it.

David climbed up the ladder, the infected reaching up and trying to grab his legs. David leant down and pushed the ladder onto the floor, collapsing on top of a couple of infected and preventing them from climbing up to the platform. He summoned a dust pistol in his right hand and shot the two trails of dust, setting them alight and burning any infected standing on the burning dust. He aimed and shot the support pillars, the roof of the barn collapsing above and around him. David looked down one last time at the burning infected and jumped out the window at the back of the barn, tuck and rolling when he hit the ground. He got up as the barn exploded behind him.

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER TWO**

* * *

 **DAY 3**

* * *

David held his canteen bottle underneath his spile, which was currently draining water from a tree. After several moments filling the bottle, he swapped to the other bottle and began filling that bottle. After the first night in the wild, both David and Anna had realised that they may be in the wild for quite some time, so decided to return to the crashed airship and retrieve whatever supplies they could salvage from the crash. After a whole day of not meeting any people, not meeting with their teammates and not even any Grimm, they were both confused of the lack of people and Grimm, and where their teammates had gone. On the third day, they had to find somewhere to temporarily stay, as Anna had been getting weaker and sicker.

David screwed the lid on the second canteen and removed the spile, putting both of them into his bag and walked back to find Anna lying on the floor against a tree. She looked up at him, skin going pale, greyness around her eyes and in her veins, from the scratch Crane did, the veins spread a black substance. "You're not feeling an better are you?"

"Worse." Anna told him, looking at the floor. "It feels like the feeling in my left arm has completely disappeared, my ears are constantly ringing, I feel like I'm about to throw up, but nothing comes out." She started to tear up, wiping them away quickly. David sat down next to her and held onto her right hand.

"Hey, we're gonna make it. _I'm_ gonna make sure you make it." David assured her, and she looked at him, unsure.

"But this isn't right. We shouldn't even be here, we should be on the airship, miles away from here and almost at Vacuo. Not stuck in the forest, slowly dying from some infection." Anna ranted angrily. "And Indiana and Samantha are probably dead, or they're god-knows where and we're probably never going to see them again and-"

"Hey!" David yelled, stopping her. "Stop that. You can't give up like that, it doesn't end here. Anna, I know that we've been through hell, and we're still there, but we are hunters. We can't just back down and accept this as the end, I've been there before, and it sucks. A lot." Anna turned away, closing her eyes to stop any tears from escaping. David reached over and lightly pulled her head back towards his, Anna looking at him with teary eyes. "Indiana and Samantha are out there, we're going to find them, and we're going to find somewhere safe, get you help. Got it?"

"Y-yeah." Anna told him, slightly unsure of herself.

"Anna." David said, hugging her, which she reciprocated. "We're gonna make it."

"We are." Anna agreed.

"And, you did say you were sick of being in the air all the time." David joked. Anna slapped him playfully.

"Shut up."

* * *

The pair continued walking east, Anna's arm around David's neck in order to support themselves as they passed through the dense forest. The sky had started to darken as it got later into the day, they needed somewhere to stay for the night, somewhere safe. As they walked, David turned to his side and stopped the two of them, Anna looking at him curiously.

"What is it?" She asked him, and he pointed to the side.

"A Barn." He said, and the two walked over to the barn's door, seeing the padlock on the door. He raised his arm and telekinetically pulled the lock off, the doors opening. The two walked in to see the barn abandoned, but undamaged. "This'll do for the night." She let go of him and they searched the barn for anything useful. David climbed the ladder to a raised platform, and opened the door into a small bedroom, scattered pieces of someone's past life around the room. David examined the objects in the room, nothing of real usefulness, until he found a shiny, silver suitcase underneath the bed. He pulled it out, set it on the bed and opened it, revealing three canisters of red dust powder. "Hmm." He closed the suitcase and exited the bedroom, leaping off the platform as Anna exited the side room on the bottom floor.

"Found anything useful?" Anna asked him.

"A bedroom upstairs, it's no five-star hotel, but it's better than sleeping on the floor of some forest." He told her, and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, and I found this suitcase, it's got a few canisters of red dust powder. Someone just left it here."

"I guess whoever lived here didn't need it anymore." Anna suggested.

"Maybe." David said vaguely, putting the suitcase down next to the ladder. "It's getting dark, I'll go get some wood to help make a fire."

"Pass the bag, I'll set everything up for when you get back, we need to eat." Anna told David, who took off the bag and handed it to her. He gave her a quick kiss.

"'ll be back soon." David told her, walking over to the barn door, opening the right door and closing it as he left. Anna too a deep breath, setting the bag down against the barn's wall and started unpacking the contents within.

* * *

David reached down and picked up another small log of wood, stacking it on top of the other pieces in his other arm. After briefly searching through the forest, he found another couple of logs and decided he had obtained enough. As David started walking back to the barn, he stopped when he heard rustling in the bushes, immediately dropped the logs and summoned a dust pistol in his right hand, aiming towards the rustling bushes.

"Come out with your hands up." David ordered, taking a couple of steps forward towards the bushes, which continued rustling, but nobody came out. "Come out, now!" He yelled, and the rustling stopped. David cautiously stepped forward and reached the bush, ppushigit aside finding nothing. He looked at the floor for any tracks, but there were none around. Keeping his guard up, he dissipated the dust pistol and picked up the logs, walking back to the barn.

* * *

Anna stopped digging the hole in the ground she was making, satisfied that it was deep enough for the fire, ad moved the excess dirt to make a barrier around the hole. With a satisfied smirk, she rummaged through David's bag and picked out a tripod, moving back towards the fire and placing it above and around the hole. She stopped when she heard the door shifting and reached for her katana, taking it out of the sheath and getting up, holding it defensively. The door opened ad David waked in, holding the logs of wood.

"We surrender." David said sarcastically, walking over to the hole and putting the logs into the hole. Anna sighed and walked back to her weapon sheath, putting her katana back into said sheath. "So, what's there to eat?"

"Not much, unfortunately." Anna told him with a hint of annoyance. "Just a couple of MRE's that can be heated in boiling water."

"It'll do. Pass the dust." He requested, which she did. David opened the suitcase and poured a small amount of red dust powder onto the logs in the hole, and ignited the dust with his dust-infused gloves. He put the tripod over the fire, poured water into a pan and put the MRE's in the pan, leaving them to heat up. "This is gonna take some time." David took a deep breath, now just noticing that it was cold enough that he could see his breath, and it was getting colder. David sat down just in front of the fire, and Anna walked over, sitting on his lap, David wrapping his arms around her waist for warmth. The two remained in a peaceful silence, both just looking at the fire slowly increasing in size as it burnt the wood to ash inside the hole in the ground.

"I heard you yelling outside, as if there was someone there." Anna spoke up.

"I thought I heard someone rustling around in the bushes, I told them to come out, but when I checked, there was nobody there and no tracks were left behind." David told her. "Either it was nothing, or someone is out there, clever enough to cover up their own tracks. Couldn't sense anyone though."

"Could you sense them if you could still read minds?" She asked, looking back slightly towards David.

"Only if I wanted too, I'm not one to pry into someone's mind without permission. I never read your mind, who knows what I'd have seen." David joked, Anna chuckled a little. "I never read Yang's mind, because... it's Yang, but I read a few. Ruby, Jaune, Blake, Ren, just so I could get a glimpse into what their lives are like, but not too much to reveal any secrets. Well, except that Blake is a faunus, and was a member of the white fang." He glanced at her. "You knew about that, right?"

"I do now." Anna responded. "It doesn't matter what she'd done in the past, all that matters is what she'll do with her new life."

"Reading a mind isn't like them talking to you without moving their mouths, it much more complicated than that." David continued.

"How?" Anna asked.

"Are you really that interested?" David questioned her.

"It's an interesting thing to have, and there's not much else to talk about." She explained.

"When I was a child, when I first unlocked one of my semblances, the first one was telepathy, I learned that what people think completely betrays what you know about them. Even the quietest person would be yelling in their mind, and the loudest person would have a silent mind. A person who was nervous, afraid of other people would be singing in their mind, and person who was fearless would be screaming in their mind. I can learn about people in ways even that their closest friends and family's will never know." David told her, she stared into the fire, taking in his every word.

"My first real friend, Neo, was a mute, she never talked. But when we talked, with our minds, she _never_ shut up. She would ask the weirdest things, and personal things I wouldn't tell a soul. It was such a strong bond that when Roman took her, she wouldn't- _couldn't_ -hurt me. I think that they know this now, the next time she sees me, she'll try to kill me. I'll have to kill her."

"You'd do that? You could kill a friend?" Anna asked him.

"The Neo I saw in Vale, the one on the train, that isn't Neo until she sees me. The other woman, _that's_ not Neo, I wouldn't loose a bit of sleep if I had to kill her." David told her. "Now, Indiana was different. When I saw him in the CCT, without even reading his mind, I _knew_ he was still Indiana on the inside, that's why I saved him, instead of killing him. In all honesty, Anna, if you ever turned bad, I-I don't think I could do it. I don't think I would have the willpower to stop you, you're too important to me. Could you?"

"Kill you?" She asked.

"Could you do it, if I ever turned bad?" He confirmed.

"No, I'd do everything I could to stop you, _save_ you from whatever was controlling you." She turned around and faced him, still in his lap. "You're the most important person in my life, more than Ozpin, the father figure who saved me from near-death a decade ago. I never had a purpose in Beacon, you didn't even know I was there, since I was always hiding. You saved me when the white fang captured me, tortured and experimented on me, and you're still saving me now." She kissed him passionately. "Without you, I have no meaning." The two kissed again, longer and more passionate this time. David opened one eye and looked past Anna, releasing the kiss.

"Food's ready."

* * *

That night, the temperatures had surpassed freezing, forcing David and Anna to go to near-drastic measures to ensure they survived during the night. David finished removing most articles of his clothing, bar his boxers, and got into the bed, waiting for Anna. They decided that in order to pass the freezing temperatures, they would sleep together with minimal clothing in order to share body heat, keeping them warmer during the night. As Anna entered the room, David averted his eyes as Anna got into the bed next to him.

"Such a gentleman." Anna joked, shuffling closer and lying her head on his chest.

"I thought it'd be inappropriate." David told her.

"You've already seen me like this before." She reminded him.

"Yeah, but that was years ago, we didn't know each other, and the situation we were in, I wasn't paying too much attention to your clothes, or lack-there-of." David explained.

"Well, I wouldn't _really_ mind if you saw, we are dating."

"It's only been a week, two at most. We don't need to rush anything."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Anna sighed tiredly. "I hope Indiana and Samantha managed to find somewhere to stay for the night."

"They're hunters too, they are resourceful enough to get through the situation. I believe the two of them are doing fine." David said to her. "Now let's get some sleep, we need to be up early."

"Alright, night." Anna said, closing her eyes.

"Night." David closed his eyes, and both fell asleep.

* * *

 **DAY 4**

* * *

David opened his eyes slowly with a yawn, stretching a little, only to realise that Anna was clinging onto his chest. He smiled a little and sighed, moving her arm off him as he got up out of bed, quickly getting changed. Just before he left the room, David turned back and looked at Anna, who was sleeping peacefully, but was concerned when he looked at her arm, the black substance in her veins in her self arm was still slowly spreading. David sat down next to her and lightly shook her awake.

"Huh, David? W-what time is it?" Anna asked, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm heading out to find something to eat, I'll be back in an hour or so. Probably best if you get ready, we might have to leave." David told her.

"Why?" Anna asked him, leaning up slightly.

"Just in case I sense that person again." David said, and left after giving her a quick kiss. Anna threw off the cover and started getting changed.

* * *

David walked quietly through the forest, holding his dagger in his right hand as he searched for anything edible for breakfast. He continued walking, reached a corner and stopped in his tracks, looking at the floor curiously. On the ground was a box, sealed with a note written on the top of the box. He picked it up.

"'From a Friend'?" David spoke out loud to himself. He crouched down and opened the box, widening his eyes in surprise. Inside the box was a selection of foods, bottles of water and even some medicine. David took out a bottle of water, inspecting it. "Damn it." He threw the box and water away with an annoyed sigh, grabbed his dagger and continued walking.

More rustling in the bushes caught his attention, David summoned a dust pistol in his other hand and aimed it towards the bush.

"Anyone who is there, come out _now_!" David yelled, taking a few steps forward. Unlike last time, a person exited the bushes and started stumbling towards David. David glanced at the person and started backing away. "What the hell?"

The person looked like a regular civilian of a kingdom, but had significant differences. It's eyes were full blood red, it's skin was grey with black veins across it's whole body, and it's right cheek had been bitten off, blood dripping from the wound. David raised and aimed his pistol at it.

"Stay where you are." He told them, but it kept stumbling towards him, growling. "I said stop!" It kept moving forward. "Stop, or I _will_ shoot." David threatened, but it didn't stop. David fired three shots from his dust pistol into it's chest, burning a hole in it's chest, David lowering his pistol. He turned and started walking away, but froze when he heard groaning and growling, the person got back to it's feet, stumbling towards David.

"What the hell!" David yelled, confused. He fired another couple of shots, tearing off the things right arm, but didn't deter the thing at all. David dissipated his pistol and charged up to the thing, kicked it in the knee, making it fall to it's knees and stabbed the thing in the side of the head with his dagger, and it fell to the floor. David removed the dagger, looking at the red blood dripping off the blade. "What the hell..." He gasped in fear when he realised that what happened to that person is similar to what is happening to Anna. That person was infected.

David walked forwards into the bush the thing came from, walked through to the other side and froze. In a clearing, waling mindlessly were a group of at least 50 infected people, which slowly turned and limped towards David. David backed away and sprinted back to the barn.

* * *

Anna put on her right boot, tying it and put on her left boot, tying it, standing from the bed and sighed, wiping a strand of hair from her face. She winced in pain a little, feeling the infection in her left arm causing her pain. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Open the doors!" David yelled from outside the barn, Anna opening her eyes and turning towards the door surprised. She got up, leapt off the platform and ran over to the barns door' opening it. Anna stepped back in fear of what was ahead of her: her boyfriend running away from a large group of infected humans. David ran into the barn and they both pushed the door shut, the infected pushing against the door, trying to force themselves into the barn. Anna glanced backwards and to David.

"Hold the door, I'll get something to brace it." Anna told him, he nodded, pushing against the door again. Anna ran to the back of the barn and grabbed a large piece of wood, trying to lift it, but winced in pain in her left arm, faltering and dropping the wood. David looked back to see Anna struggling, opened the door slightly and slammed it shut, knocking the infected back and onto the floor. He ran over to the wood brace and dragged it over to the door as it started to open. Anna got up and ran over to the door, holding it shut as David lifted and put the brace against the doors, keeping t closed.

"This won't hold long." David told her, and turned to her. "We need to destroy the barn, set it on fire, kill or distract those- those things."

"What are those things?" Anna whispered in fear.

"I don't know, they're _dead_. They won't die if you shoot them or stab them, unless it's in the brain." He told her. "We need to get away from them, burn them to nothing."

"I'll get the dust." Anna told him, running to the ladder, climbing up and ran into the room, grabbing the suitcase and opening it, taking the containers of powdered dust. She dropped down off the platform and handed a container to David and they both opened them, moving backwards across the barn floor while pouring the powdered dust on the floor. They threw the empty canisters on the floor. "What now?"

"I'll remove the brace from the door, letting them in. You hide behind the right door as it opens and stay back while I draw them towards me. When they're all inside, close the doors from the outside and jam it shut with something. I'll climb up the ladder onto the platform and shoot the dust, and jump out the back of the barn. Meet me at the back." David instructed her, and she nodded, moved towards the door, but stopped, pulling David into a strong kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Be safe." Anna told him, pulling away.

"I always do." David said with a smirk, Anna pulling away and moving against the wall of the barn. David grabbed the brace and pulled it off the door, the infected forcing the doors open, the right door closing on Anna, and stumbled into the barn, David moving back. "Come on! Come on!" David yelled, backing up to the ladder as the infected followed him inside. Anna quietly moved around the door and pulled it closed as she left the barn, grabbing the left door and closing it too. She unsheathed her katana and jammed it between the doors, sealing it. Anna turned towards an infected behind her growling, unsheathed her other katana and sliced it's head off. She looked down at the disembodied head, still growling at her, and stabbed her katana through the infected's eye, killing it.

David climbed up the ladder, the infected reaching up and trying to grab his legs. David leant down and pushed the ladder onto the floor, collapsing on top of a couple of infected and preventing them from climbing up to the platform. He summoned a dust pistol in his right hand and shot the two trails of dust, setting them alight and burning any infected standing on the burning dust. He aimed and shot the support pillars, the roof of the barn collapsing above and around him. David looked down one last time at the burning infected and jumped out the window at the back of the barn, tuck and rolling when he hit the ground. He got up as the barn exploded behind him.

A pair of infected stumbled towards David, growling and reaching for David. He took out his dagger and stabbed the first one through the mouth, the other one grabbing him. Anna stabbed her katana through the other infected's eye, they both fell the ground.

"What the hell is going on?" Anna asked, both of them looking at the burning barn.

"I don't know. These thing... I-I just don't know." David stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"David, the bag was in the barn, it's probably destroyed now." Anna informed him.

"Fuck." He cursed. "We need to go, it's not safe. That fire might draw more of those things." The two turned and ran away from the barn, more infected approaching the burning barn.

* * *

 **END OF CHAPTER TWO**

* * *

 _All you have is your fire,  
And the place you need to reach...  
Don't you ever tame your demons,  
But always keep 'em on a leash..._

* * *

 **Hey, it's the end of chapter two! So, the new threat of the story has arrived: the undead. Alright, so, before anyone calls me out or complains in the future, this story does take inspiration from the walking dead, but isn't a retelling, that's another story (Read RWBY: The Walking Dead, another one of my stories if you want to see that).**

 **Chapter three will be another perspective, and might take longer to come out, but it'll be here soon. Also, I apologise for this chapter being slow, but it'll pick up speed soon.**

 **Thanks for reading chapter two, and remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, see you in chapter three.**


	3. Mad

_**Song from Previous Chapter:**_

 ** _"Arsonist's Lullaby"_**

 ** _Artist - Hozier_**

 ** _(My favourite song)_**

* * *

 _Went to school and I was very nervous  
No one knew me, no one knew me  
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson  
Look right through me, look right through me_

* * *

They both reached the bottom of the tree, landing on the ground with a 'thud', quickly looking around the area. Samantha lay back against the tree, taking a little breath as Indiana looked up at the sun to determine which direction was west. Samantha perked up at the sound of rustling bushes in the distance. She stood up and looked, barely seeing a black haired man looking at the two of them through the bushes, who just as quickly turned and ran.

"Hey, come back!" Samantha yelled, grabbing her sniper rifle and running after the mysterious man.

"Samantha, wait up!" Indiana yelled, picking up his assault rifle and ran after his younger team mate, who turned around the corner. Samantha stopped, raising her rifle and looking around the surrounding area for the mysterious man.

" _Did they see you?_ " Samantha heard a woman's voice through what sounded like a walkie-talkie. She tip-toed towards the source of the sound.

"Unsure. They definitely spotted something. Will continue to follow and observe." She heard a man say into the walkie-talkie.

"Hello?" Samantha called out, holding her rifle at the ready. "If you're there, come out now."

"Samantha!" Indiana yelled, running around the corner. She turned and raised a finger to her mouth, gesturing him to be silent. He complied and raised his assault rifle. The two continued walking forward.

Suddenly, a small, black hole appeared behind the two of them, Indiana and Samantha both forced backwards, which steadily expanded to a 10-foot radius. The two of them heavily struggled to get away from the portal, both of them being pulled off their feet.

"Grab something!" Indiana yelled, wrapping his cybernetic arm around a tree, Samantha grabbing onto another tree, the black portal bending trees towards it as it attempted to suck the two hunters inside.

"Sorry about this, but just heard something you weren't meant to. But don't worry, your death will not be in vein..." The man said from behind a group of bushes, completely unaffected by the black hole.

"Indi-I...can't hold...on..." Samantha strained, her grip loosening on the tree.

"Samantha, you can hold on, just a little longer!" Indiana yelled back, his metal arm tightening on the tree.

"I...can't..." She started slipping. "Indi-"

"No!"

Samantha let go.

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER THREE**

* * *

 **DAY 1**

* * *

Crane threw the shield onto the ground, Indiana's gun falling out of the shield. Indiana lunged at the Hybrid, swinging his metal limb at it, but Crane caught his fist with its own fist, yelling a growl as Crane threw Indiana across the room. Samantha loaded her sniper rifle and aimed at Crane's forehead. The Grimm turned to her and raise his broadsword, and Samantha fired, the bullet piercing Crane's skull and passed through and destroyed his left eye, a large hole in its head.

Crane roared in pain and charged at Samantha, who fired a couple more shots into Crane's left leg and chest, until Crane grabbed her by the neck and threw her as hard as he could into the side of the airship, she broke through the wall and was sent flying through the sky.

"Samantha!" Indiana yelled, arm outstretched. He turned and glared at Crane, running into the Grimm and tackling it to the ground. Indiana got off the Grimm and desperately turned to David.

"Go! Get Samantha!" David ordered him, lunging at Crane with his sword. Indiana grabbed his weapon and a parachute and jumped out of the hole in the wall.

He suddenly started descending, quickly spotting Samantha falling towards the ground ahead of her. He secured his weapon to his back and attached the parachute to his back, clipping it to his chest. He tucked his arms to his chest and legs together, accelerating towards his team mate. When he got close enough, he reached out and caught her in his arms. Indiana looked down at her, she was unconscious, likely the shock of being thrown out of an airship. He pulled the cord on the parachute, the bag opened and expanded, drastically slowing their descent. He tightly held onto her as they slowly headed towards the ground.

"I've got you, Samantha." He said to himself quietly. "I've got you." He tugged on the left cord, turning them both left towards a tall tree. He adjusted the direction and tensed, landing on a long, thick tree branch, collapsing onto his back, tightly holding onto Samantha. He sighed heavily, relaxing a little, reaching back and detaching the parachute from his back. Indiana stood up, putting Samantha over his left shoulder and slid down the tree, digging his metallic arm into the tree trunk, slowing him down until he reached the bottom, crouching his legs on impact. Indiana looked around the area, a large amount of trees, bushes and shrubbery, but no Grimm.

"Uhh..." Samantha groaned, shuffling slightly on Indiana's shoulder. He walked over to the tree and put her down, she leant against the tree, rubbing the back of her head. "Where-where are we?"

"You got thrown out of the airship by Crane, you were unconscious as you were free-falling. I jumped out after you." Indiana told her, her eyes widening. "I got this parachute and caught up to you, guiding us both down safe-" Samantha crashed into him, hugging Indiana as tight as she could, catching him off guard. She was sobbing slightly.

"T-Thank y-you..." She muffled against his chest. "Y-You saved me..."

"Hey." Indiana pulled her off, kneeling in front of her. "You're my team mate, saving your life is something I shouldn't hesitate to do." She smiled at him with gratitude. Both of their attention was pulled by a loud crashing sound in the sky, they was the airship quickly descending to the ground, and impacted, shaking them both off their feet. "Oh no. Come on!" They both sprinted towards the crash site.

* * *

"Oh shit..." Indiana muttered as they both approached the crash site, their airship broken and scattered throughout the clearing, burning down any surrounding nature.

"Do you think they're still here?" Samantha asked.

"If they survived." Indiana noted, and took out his walkie-talkie. "David, come in." Only static came back. "David!" The walkie-talkie stopped making static, the batteries had ran out. "Fuck!" He sighed in annoyance, clipping the walkie-talkie back onto his belt. "That sucks."

"We should search for them, it's still morning." Samantha said to him.

"Something as big as this, it would take way too long to search. We need to be smart, think what David and Anna would do in this situation." Indiana advised.

"They...would find safe ground, and make their way to Vacuo, so we go west!" Samantha cheered. Indiana chuckled.

"Right. Let's scavenge for some supplies and find somewhere safe, we'll make some proper ground tomorrow." He told her. "Alright, let's split up, back here in 10." She nodded and they split. Indiana approached a metal door on the side of the airship, grabbed it with his metal arm and ripped the door off it's hinges, throwing it several feet away. He climbed into the room, which turned out to be the armoury. He reached underneath one of the tables and picked up a rucksack, filling it with dust crystals suited for their weapons and a first aid kit. He zipped up the rucksack, put it on his back and climbed out of the room, landing back at the crash site.

Samantha aimed her sniper rifle at a door, firing it and blowing off the lock. She attached the rifle to her back and jumped up, lifting herself up and into the room, which was her quarters on the airship. She picked up her rucksack and rummaged through her room, finding bottles of water, food and a blanket. She leant down and picked up a picture of the entire team. David grinning as Anna kissed his cheek, Samantha grinning and waving at the camera and Indiana smirking, rustling Samantha's hair with his metal arm. She smiled at the photo and folded it, putting it into her pocket. She put the rucksack n her back and exited the room, finding Indiana waiting for her outside.

"Find what we need?" He asked her.

"Yep. You?" Samantha asked.

"Yes. Come on, let's get moving." Indiana told her, and the two started walking west, unaware of the person following behind them.

* * *

The two team mates strolled through the dense forest, Samantha particularly in awe at what she was observing.

"What's got you so excited?" Indiana asked.

"Well, I've never really been outside the kingdom before, except when we went and got Epsilon, but I missed the missions that all first years do." She explained.

"You weren't at Beacon yet. I was...doing something bad..." Indiana said vaguely. Samantha turned to him.

"Want to talk about it?" She asked.

"No. It's something I'd prefer to forget about." Indiana blew it off. She frowned a little and they both continued walking in relative silence, she continued looking at the nature around her, what she hadn't been able to see outside the kingdoms. She stopped walking, raising her sniper rifle and aimed to her side, a group of shrubs. He stopped and turned to Samantha. "What is it?"

"I can hear footsteps through there. They're struggling to walk." Samantha told him, slowly approaching the shrubs. Indiana stood a bit further behind, his assault rifle raised.

"Anyone in there, come on out!" Indiana yelled, the two of them continued approaching. Out of the shrubs, a small group of infected humans stumbled out, growling and reaching for them.

"What the hell are those things?" Samantha gasped in shock, looking at the infected human's grey skin, black veins and bite marks on their arms and faces. "They're dead..."

"Then we put them back in the ground!" Indiana yelled, firing his assault rifle at them, hitting them in the stomach and chest, knocking them back, but they kept walking. "What?"

"Aim for the head!" Samantha fired a sniper shot through an infected's eye, killing it as it fell to the ground, firing at another one. Indiana fired the remainder of his clip, dropping a few infected, and grabbed another infected, stabbing the bladed end of his rifle through it's skull. It fell to the ground with the blade embedded, another infected approaching him. Indiana turned and punched the infected in the face with his metallic arm, crushing it's face and killing it. Another infected grabbed him, but was quickly killed as Samantha grabbed the back of it's head, the blades in her gauntlet extending and tearing four holes into the infected's skull. They both panted as Indiana pulled his rifle out of the infected human's head.

"How'd you know those things were dead?" He asked her.

"Heartbeats, I can hear them if I concentrate hard enough. They didn't have any." Samantha informed him.

"But they were walking, moving towards us. What the hell are those things?" Indiana asked himself.

"I have absolutely no idea. But whatever they are, it seems to be some kind of infection." Samantha noted. Indiana approached and picked up one of the infected human's bodies.

"It's neck has been bitten, a chunk taken out. My guess, you get bit, you become one of these _things_." Indiana threw the body onto the ground. "Come on, it's getting late, it's best if we find high ground, somewhere safe."

"What about up a tree?" Samantha suggested.

"Fuck, that's actually a great idea. We'll be safe, and have visibility. Come on, let's go find a tall tree." Indiana gestured and they continued west.

* * *

Indiana reached up, digging his cybernetic arm into the tree trunk, pulling himself further up the tree. Samantha was a few feet below him, stabbing her gauntlet blades into the trunk to pull herself up the tree. Indiana reached up one last time and pulled himself up to a thick branch on the tree, reaching down to help Samantha the rest of the way up. She sighed as she took off her bag, laying it on the trunk and opened it, taking out and drinking from a bottle of water.

"Want some?" She asked, holding out the bottle. He took it and drank some, passing it back.

"We should be safe up here, so long as we don't fall." Indiana said, looking over the edge. "It's getting late, you should probably get some rest, I'll keep watch."

"Are you sure? It seems pretty safe up here." Samantha noted, reaching into her bag and taking out a blanket.

"Safe from those things, but not other people. We don't know who else is out here." Indiana told her, sitting down with his weapon on his lap.

"Oh, alright, just wake me up in a few hours, 'kay?" She asked.

"Got it." He answered, looking down at the forest floor. She got more comfortable against the tree and closed her eyes, drifting to sleep.

* * *

 _"-multiple, smaller transmit towers are scattered across Remnant between the four main towers in order to increase the power and connectivity between the towers and between the kingdoms." Oobleck told the class, who tried their best to keep up with his super speed. "And I'm afraid that is all we have time for today. Please have a 1000 word essay on the Cross Continental Transmit System for next lesson. You are dismissed!" The class began leaving, Ruby and Epsilon shaking Yang to wake her up while Blake and Weiss shrugged and walked off. David, Anna, Indiana and Samantha reached the door to leave. "Team DARK, may I have a moment to speak with you all?" They all glanced at each other. They sat back down at the desk at the front of the class, Oobleck standing in front of them._

 _"How have you all been enjoying your time as a newly formed team?" Oobleck asked us._

 _"It's nice to be a leader again. It's what I should be. And the best girlfriend." David said to him, glancing over to Anna._

 _"It's nice to have friends, people who I can rely on and trust. And an awesome boyfriend." Anna said, glancing towards me with a small smirk._

 _"It's nice to be myself again, not some tool. Begin a new life, and new beginning." Indiana told the doctor._

 _"It's been fun!" Samantha cheered. Oobleck nodded and paced a little in front of the desk._

 _"Now, I have asked most of my students why they became huntsmen and huntresses, yet, you four seem to be the most intriguing, as I cannot figure out why you all became them." Oobleck began._

 _"I told Team RWBY when I was with them why I became a hunter, you overheard us." David reminded him._

 _"No, you told them a lie." Oobleck said._

 _"Everybody Lies." David told the professor._

 _"True. But, I would like to know the truth of why you became a hunter." Oobleck requested, stopping in front of David._

 _"My father, Qrow, is one of the most successful hunters of our time, I wanted to follow in his footsteps, even overtake him, instead of living in his shadows. That's why nobody calls me David Branwen." David told Oobleck, who nodded, and turned to Anna._

 _"When you've had a life where you live without parents, you soon learn that the world is ugly and corrupt, even without the Grimm. I want to stop them, while also protecting both Humanity and Faunus alike from the Grimm, and themselves." Anna explained. Oobleck turned to Indiana._

 _"Before Beacon, I wanted to help people who couldn't help themselves. Now, I want to stop the people who can help themselves, but for the wrong reasons. I want the ones who did this to me to be brought to justice, and closure." Indiana told the professor, who just 'hmm'd. He turned to Samantha._

 _"Why did you become a huntress?" Oobleck asked the question. Samantha looked at the desk, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she thought about her answer._

 _"I became a huntress because I can." She told him, getting a raised eyebrow from the doctor. "When you have the ability to do it, and you know that you can do it, and you want to do it, why not do it? If I didn't become a huntress, I would be using my abilities for the wrong reason."_

 _"Very intriguing, Miss Hunt. I hope your huntress career is long and successful. You are all dismissed." Oobleck told her, zipping over to his desk, taking a sip of coffee. They all got up and left the room, contemplating on their talk with Doctor Oobleck.  
_

* * *

Samantha woke up, lazily looking up to see Indiana on the edge of the branch, looking at the cracked moon in the sky. She rubbed her eyes and got up, wrapping the blanket around her, now noticing how cold the weather was. She walked over to him.

"Indiana?" She caught his attention, he turned to her. "What time is is?"

"Almost midnight." Indiana told her.

"Do you want to get some sleep, I'll take over." Samantha offered him.

"I'll pass." He said. She frowned.

"Why?" She asked.

"Why? I'm just not tired." He lied.

"Bullshit. You jumped out of an airship, scavenged a crash site, killed a group of things, climbed a tree, you _must_ be tired." She told him. He sighed.

"I'm exhausted, Samantha. I can't sleep, even though I want to." Indiana said to her, she sat down next to him. "I've told you before of how I was brainwashed by the white fang, right?"

"Yep." She confirmed, gesturing him to continue.

"Well, I broke out of it, I'm good now. But I'm not what I used to be before it, I'm colder, meaner. I want to kill the woman who did this to me." He clenched his fists. "Revenge is something that I shouldn't want, but I crave it." Samantha nodded, continuing to listen. "I can't sleep, because all I dream about is what I did when they controlled me. Every time I close my eyes, I see myself with that woman, almost killing David twice, even things that I don't even remember doing. The only dreams I have that doesn't involve what I did are ones where I'm dead. That way, I can't do anything bad." Samantha frowned a little more and moved closer to him, hugging him from behind his back.

"I'm sorry." She told him. "I shouldn't have brought it up, but you can't do this, living in fear of yourself. I've known you for some time, I've never been afraid of you, I admire you because you're brave and you protect people. Our team. You might never find that woman again, or you'll find her, and you can kill her not for revenge, but to avenge your former self." She told him, and he smiled a little.

"Thank you." He said, turning to her. "I think...I'm going try and get some sleep." He got up and walked over to the tree trunk, lying down and leaning against te trunk. Samantha walked over to him and lay next to him, lying her head on his chest. "Umm..."

"It's cold. And we don't need anyone to keep watch. I don't sense anyone around here besides us." Samantha said, closing her eyes. He lay back and fell asleep. Although, for the first time in a long time, he didn't dream about the white fang, the woman, killing people or even dying himself.

He dreamt of his friends. His team.

Samantha.

* * *

 **DAY 2**

* * *

They both reached the bottom of the tree, landing on the ground with a 'thud', quickly looking around the area. Samantha lay back against the tree, taking a little breath as Indiana looked up at the sun to determine which direction was west. Samantha perked up at the sound of rustling bushes in the distance. She stood up and looked, barely seeing a black haired man looking at the two of them through the bushes, who just as quickly turned and ran.

"Hey, come back!" Samantha yelled, grabbing her sniper rifle and running after the mysterious man.

"Samantha, wait up!" Indiana yelled, picking up his assault rifle and ran after his younger team mate, who turned around the corner. Samantha stopped, raising her rifle and looking around the surrounding area for the mysterious man.

" _Did they see you?_ " Samantha heard a woman's voice through what sounded like a walkie-talkie. She tip-toed towards the source of the sound.

"Unsure. They definitely spotted something. Will continue to follow and observe." She heard a man say into the walkie-talkie.

"Hello?" Samantha called out, holding her rifle at the ready. "If you're there, come out now."

"Samantha!" Indiana yelled, running around the corner. She turned and raised a finger to her mouth, gesturing him to be silent. He complied and raised his assault rifle. The two continued walking forward.

Suddenly, a small, black hole appeared behind the two of them, Indiana and Samantha both forced backwards, which steadily expanded to a 10-foot radius. The two of them heavily struggled to get away from the portal, both of them being pulled off their feet.

"Grab something!" Indiana yelled, wrapping his cybernetic arm around a tree, Samantha grabbing onto another tree, the black portal bending trees towards it as it attempted to suck the two hunters inside.

"Sorry about this, but just heard something you weren't meant to. But don't worry, your death will not be in vein..." The man said from behind a group of bushes, completely unaffected by the black hole.

"Indi-I...can't hold...on..." Samantha strained, her grip loosening on the tree.

"Samantha, you can hold on, just a little longer!" Indiana yelled back, his metal arm tightening on the tree.

"I...can't..." She started slipping. "Indi-"

"No!"

Samantha let go.

Indiana let go of the tree, reaching for her as they both fell towards the black portal. He reached as far as he could, and she reached for him, but they were too far apart. She screamed as she entered the black portal, which disappeared before Indiana hit it, who collapsed onto the ground. He shot up, breathing heavily, Samantha and the black portal nowhere in sight. He angrily turned towards the bushed.

"You mother fucker!" He fired is assault rifle blindly at the bushes, ripping the nature to shreds. The rifle clicked, out of ammunition. He lowered his gun, and angrily threw it to the ground. He turned and punched a tree with his cybernetic arm, again and again and again, until there was a six-inch hole in the tree. Indiana breathed heavily, sweating, and collapsed to the ground, breaking down into tears.

Samantha was dead.

* * *

 **END OF CHAPTER THREE**

* * *

 _And I find it kinda funny  
I find it kinda sad  
The dreams in which I'm dying  
Are the best I've ever had_

* * *

 **Oh, wow, Samantha's dead. Bet you didn't see that coming. As you can tell, this chapter wasn't following David and Anna (except in the dream), but the other half of Team DARK, Indiana and Samantha. Although this chapter wasn't as long or probably as interesting, it's important for future events.**

 **Also, I apologise for the shortness of the chapter, but there are much longer chapters coming soon.**

 **As always, remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter four!**


	4. Life

_**Song from Previous Chapter:**_

 _ **"Mad World"**_

 _ **Artist - Gary Jules**_

* * *

 _It's a god-awful small affair  
To the girl with the mousy hair  
But her mummy is yelling "No"  
And her daddy has told her to go_

* * *

David kicked open the door, an infected already reaching for him. He grabbed it by the neck and stabbed it through it's eye with his dagger, throwing the body onto the floor. He ran upstairs, backing against the wall when he reached the top, banging on the wall and listening for any infected people. A pair of infected came out of one of the bedrooms, weakly looking for the source of the noise. David pushed off the wall and stabbed one infected through the back of the head while it's back was turned. The second infected growled and lunged at David, who summoned a dust pistol, shooting it through the eye. He dissipated the gun and dropped the first infected.

David slowly opened one of the closed bedrooms door, holding his dagger at the ready, and entered, backing away slightly at the sight of a heavily bitten and devoured child girl on a blood soaked bed. He sighed sadly and walked over to the infected girl, holding her head still and stabbed her in the head, preventing reanimation. He left the room, breaking the door handle from the outside.

"She won't want to see that." David muttered, sheathing his dagger and exiting the house, kneeling down and helping Anna to her feet, putting her arm over his neck. They slowly walked up the stairs and entered the cleared bedroom, David walking over to the bed with Anna, but she collapsed, succumbing to the infection in her arm. "Anna!"

"Uhh...it hurts so much..." Anna whispered sadly, ears welling in her eyes.

"Anna, you're going to get through this. I-I'll find something here to help, there _has_ to be something!" David yelled desperately, holding onto Anna tightly.

"David...If it happens to me...don't let me come back..." Anna begged weakly.

"I-I...that's not going to happen to you, you're gonna make it." David told her, lacking in confidence. "I-I can't lose you..."

"David..." Anna looked at him. "I-I-"

"Don't. You're going to make it. You still haven't answered all your questions, everything you want to know. You don't even know who killed your parents." David reminded her, and she looked away, a tear dropping from her left eye.

"I-I lied." Anna said to him. He sighed.

"I've know, ever since you told me." He informed her.

"How?" Anna asked him.

"Everybody Lies." David repeated his credo. Anna sniffled away her tears.

"I...want to tell you what really happened to them..."

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

* * *

 **DAY 7**

* * *

 _"-One by one, the sisters left. Before they did, they made one final promise: They promised to return each and every year, to visit their dear friend. The End." Amelia finished "The Story of the Seasons" to her daughter._

 _"Yay!" Anna cheered, clapping. She calmed down and lay down in her bed. "Mom, are the maidens actually real?"_

 _"Well, we don't have proof of their existence yet..." Amelia told Anna, tucking her into bed. "...but, these stories have to come from somewhere, right?"_

 _"Right!" Anna agreed, yawning loudly._

 _"You must be tired, sweetie." Amelia chuckled a little._

 _"I'm not sleepy! I'm just...resting my eyes..." Anna tried to deny it. Amelia smiled at her and kissed Anna on the forehead._

 _"Sleep well, Anna." She said to Anna._

 _"I will, mom. Night..." Anna said, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep._

* * *

Anna's eyes shot open at the sound of gunfire outside, groaning as she got up from the floor, rubbing her eyes, thinking to herself why she dreamt about that memory. She looked around the forest, that was much less denser than when they first crashed in the forest. She turned to more gunfire, slowly getting up, holding onto her left arm painfully. She looked as the black substance in her veins spread from the tip of her left hand up to her left shoulder. Anna turned to rustling around the corner, David coming out.

"Got some good news, and some bad news." David told her, sheathing his dagger.

"Uh, I guess good news first." Anna told him.

"Well, good news is that while I was scouting this morning, I found a village in a clearing, it should have supplies and medical equipment to last us a while." David informed her.

"Well, that's great! Wait, what's the bad news?" Anna asked cautiously.

"It's abandoned. I didn't see a single person in that village, unless you count a few groups of infected humans scattered throughout the village. Shouldn't be too much of a problem." David added.

"Right, how far is it?" Anna asked.

"At walking speed, a bit less than a hour." David told her.

"Okay, let's...get going..." Anna winced in pain, David moving towards her.

"Hey, you good?" David asked her.

"What do you think?" She asked, with a sense of hostility. She immediately sighed. "Sorry."

"It's fine. I shouldn't have asked." He told her, looking at her infected arm. "Do you need help?"

"Please." Anna requested, he carefully lifted her left arm and put it around the back of his neck, he wrapped his arm around her waist to support her and they both started walking towards the village.

* * *

 _Anna whistled as she jogged home, hands on the straps of her school bag, soon reaching the front door. She reached for the handle, but stopped when she heard yelling inside. Anna pressed her ear against the door._

 _"She's a failure! You both are! You should be just as ashamed as I am that she is our daughter!" Anna heard her father shouting._

 _"Abaddon, she's just a child, she's the best in her class." Amelia told him._

 _"Then she's in a class of idiots! I told you she should have went to private school, where she might learn something useful!" He yelled at Amelia._

 _"If you're so disappointed, why don't you just leave!? We'd all be better off without yo-"_

 ** _SLAP_**

 _Anna opened the door, running through the corridor and into the back room, finding her mother on the floor, tears in her eyes, her cheek red and bleeding a little. Abaddon stood over her, breathing heavily with a clenched fist. As he lunged to hit again, Anna ran between them, his fist hitting her._

 _"Anna!" Amelia yelled, quickly getting up and, moving between Anna and Abaddon, standing in front of her daughter defensively as Anna cried, holding onto her bleeding cheek. "How dare you hit my daughter, you monster!"_

 _"I don't have time for this, I'm out of here." Abaddon walked past them, grabbing his coat. "You'd better behave yourself when I get back." He left, slamming the door behind him._

 _"Mommy!" Anna hugged her mom tightly, Amelia embracing her daughter just as tightly. She released the hug and looked at Anna's cheek._

 _"Come on, sweetie, let's get that cheek fixed up." Amelia told her, rustling her hair as Anna giggled a little._

* * *

David and Anna reached the borders of the village, entering and looking around at the buildings. Many of the buildings were single-storied houses, the larger, two storied houses at the centre of the village.

"The houses at the centre of the village are bigger than the one's here. Chances are, they have more medicine and medical equipment than the houses here. We just need to get through them." David gestured to the dozen or so infected people scattered throughout the road.

"It's too much for you to handle along, I can help." Anna told him, reaching back and unsheathing her remaining katana. "I'll watch your back while you take them on." David thought about it for a second.

"Okay, but don't strain yourself. Can you walk?" David asked, and she nodded. He carefully lifted her left arm off him and took out his dagger, sneaking up to the nearest infected human. He reached around and covered it's mouth, and stabbed it through the back of it's skull, throwing it behind him as it fell to the ground. The sound of the body falling to the ground caught the other infected's attention, they stumbled towards him, reaching out to him.

Anna sneaked up behind the furthest infected, they didn't notice her due to her invisibility semblance, and stabbed one through the back of it's neck, the katana sticking out of it's mouth. She pulled out the katana, and lunged forward, sticking the katana through another infected human's right eye, pulled out the katana and spun around, slicing off another infected's head.

David stabbed his dagger up through an infected human's jaw, pulled it our and sliced his dagger downwards on another infected human, slicing half of it's face off. He flipped the dagger in his hand and threw it at the last infected, hitting it in the forehead. David turned around smirked a little, caressing Anna's face a little. He would see her blushing if she wasn't currently invisible. She reappeared.

"How'd you see me?" Anna asked.

"I've got good eye sight." David joked, yanking his dagger out of the infected human's skull and sheathing his dagger as she laughed a little. "Come on, let's go get some medicine." Anna sheathed her katana, David helping her lift her left arm around his neck and wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked towards the larger houses. They reached the largest house, David and Anna stopping in front of it.

"What is it?" Anna asked him.

"This place could have infected people in it, best if you wait out while I take them out. A katana won't be great in a tight area." David advised her.

"Okay." Anna said, letting go of David and leaning down on the floor, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

* * *

 _Anna winced a little as Amelia carefully stitched the cut on her cheek, tightening the surgical suture and putting it back back into the cut again. Amelia tightened it and cut the string. "All done." Amelia told her, frowning a little when Anna continued frowning. "What's the matter, dear?"_

 _"Why does daddy hit you?" Anna asked._

 _"Daddy...he's a changed man. When I met him, we was a true gentleman, would never lay a hand on me, I loved him. But, being a hunter can put a toll on your mentality, being around the creatures of Grimm for decades can change anyone. It made your daddy a bad man. He's got a good reputation as a hunter, so most people wouldn't suspect him as what he really is, something I made a mistake of." Amelia told her. "Anna, I want you to make me a promise."_

 _"Okay?" Anna asked._

 _"I want you to promise me, that if you ever meet a man, or woman, you will be absolutely sure that they are a good person. Someone who will protect you and those around you, someone honourable, someone good. I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did." Amelia told Anna, who pulled her mother into a hug._

 _"I promise, mommy."_

* * *

David kicked open the door, an infected already reaching for him. He grabbed it by the neck and stabbed it through it's eye with his dagger, throwing the body onto the floor. He ran upstairs, backing against the wall when he reached the top, banging on the wall and listening for any infected people. A pair of infected came out of one of the bedrooms, weakly looking for the source of the noise. David pushed off the wall and stabbed one infected through the back of the head while it's back was turned. The second infected growled and lunged at David, who summoned a dust pistol, shooting it through the eye. He dissipated the gun and dropped the first infected.

David slowly opened one of the closed bedrooms door, holding his dagger at the ready, and entered, backing away slightly at the sight of a heavily bitten and devoured child girl on a blood soaked bed. He sighed sadly and walked over to the infected girl, holding her head still and stabbed her in the head, preventing reanimation. He left the room, breaking the door handle from the outside.

"She won't want to see that." David muttered, sheathing his dagger and exiting the house, kneeling down and helping Anna to her feet, putting her arm over his neck. They slowly walked up the stairs and entered the cleared bedroom, David walking over to the bed with Anna, but she collapsed, succumbing to the infection in her arm. "Anna!"

"Uhh...it hurts so much..." Anna whispered sadly, tears welling in her eyes.

"Anna, you're going to get through this. I-I'll find something here to help, there _has_ to be something!" David yelled desperately, holding onto Anna tightly.

"David...If it happens to me...don't let me come back..." Anna begged weakly.

"I-I...that's not going to happen to you, you're gonna make it." David told her, lacking in confidence. "I-I can't lose you..."

"David..." Anna looked at him. "I-I-"

"Don't. You're going to make it. You still haven't answered all your questions, everything you want to know. You don't even know who killed your parents." David reminded her, and she looked away, a tear dropping from her left eye.

"I-I lied." Anna said to him. He sighed.

"I've know, ever since you told me." He informed her.

"How?" Anna asked him.

"Everybody Lies." David repeated his credo. Anna sniffled away her tears.

"I...want to tell you what really happened to them..."

* * *

 _Anna woke up from her sleep, the sound of yelling downstairs too much for her. She got out of bed, unlocked the lock on her door and crept to the staircase, slowly walking down and stopping, looking down at her parents fighting again._

 _"You stitched up her face? She needs to heal on her own if she wants to be stronger!" Abaddon yelled at Amelia._

 _"She's just a child, not a huntress!" Amelia yelled back at him._

 _"It's no wonder she's so weak, she's just like you!" He yelled, and she slapped him in the face._

 _"Don't speak of us like that agai-" She was cut off when he punched her in the face, she fell to the ground, clutching her bloody nose. "Abaddon?"_

 _"Don't talk back at me again!" He hit her again, and again, and again. Anna gritted her teeth angrily and ran down the stairs and around her parents into the kitchen. She opened the draw and grabbed a knife, entering the room with her parents, Abaddon on to of Amelia, choking her. Anna yelled and stabbed him in the leg, he yelled in pain. "Anna-" She stabbed the knife into his neck, letting go and backing away, covered in his blood, as he began choking on his own blood, falling to the floor gasping for air, and eventually collapsed, dead. Anna took the knife out of his neck and stabbed him in the eye, making sure he was dead. She walked over to her mother._

 _"Mommy?" Anna asked her mother, who was painfully gasping for air, her neck purple from bruising. Amelia turned towards Anna painfully, tears in her eyes._

 _"Anna...please..." Amelia begged, and Anna nodded, knowing what to do. Anna grabbed the knife and walked over to her mother, holding the knife over her head._

 _"I love you, mom." Anna told her, and brought the knife down, killing her peacefully. Anna removed the knife and dropped it, shaking as she backed into the corner of the room, collapsing to the floor and hugged her knees, tears openly flowing from her eyes._

* * *

"...she wanted me to kill her, she was going to die slowly and painfully. I did what she asked, putting her at peace." Anna finished, a few tears dropping from her eyes. David was speechless.

"...wow. So, what happened afterwards, with Ozpin and-" David stopped, Anna had passed out in his arms. "No, no, no, no, no." He shook her, but she didn't respond. "Anna, please." He hugged her, knowing there was nothing he could do.

"Man, that was a rough story."

David quickly dropped Anna, turning and summoning a dust pistol, aiming it at a man who had entered the room. He looked about David and Anna's age, with black hair, brown eyes and near pale skin, bar the scar on his right cheek. He was wearing a long grey leather trench coat, a black thermal shirt with multiple stitches and patches, dark blue jeans and black boots. He had a pair of knifes attached to his belt, which he quickly grabbed and threw them onto the ground, holding his hands up.

"Back up, now!" David yelled at him.

"Okay, okay, just don't shoot." He requested, taking a couple of steps back.

"Who are you?" David demanded.

"I'm a friend." He answered with a small smile.

"Your _name_." David elaborated.

"I'm Alexander MacFarlane, my friends call me Alex-"

"I don't care what your friends call you, what do you want?" David asked.

"I'm a scout of my home, I search for people who I think should come back, and I believe you two would be great additions." Alex explained. David lowered his gun slightly, looking at Alex, and swung his fist, knocking him out. David dissipated his dust pistol and tied him to the bed frame.

* * *

 _Anna walked through the streets of Vale, searching for anyone who looked rich. She stopped and backed against the wall, looking around the corner at an elderly man in a green suit with a cane. Anna casually walked past him, reaching into his pocket and grabbing his lien cards. As she walked away, she was tripped over by the man's cane. She panicked, quickly getting up to run away, but the man knelt in front of her before she got to her feet. He briefly examined her._

 _"Interesting. You pick-pocketed me." He said to Anna._

 _"P-please don't report me. Here, you can have it back!" Anna begged, holding out the lien cards to the man. He looked at them and pushed them back towards Anna._

 _"Why are you stealing lien from strangers?" He asked her._

 _"I need it, I have none." Anna told him. He looked at her again, noticing how she looked scruffy, weak and exhausted._

 _"You look bad." He noted._

 _"I've been on the streets for three years. I've looked worse." Anna told him, looking down at herself._

 _"What's your name?" He asked._

 _"Anna Kyle." She answered him._

 _"My name is Ozpin, I'm the headmaster of Beacon Academy. Now, I'd like to say I'm a pretty skilled huntsman, but you still managed to sneak past me without me immediately noticing." Ozpin explained to her. "Are you hungry?"_

 _"Starving." Anna answered, holding her stomach._

 _"You can come back with me, I can't leave someone as skilled as you out on the streets." Ozpin offered her a hand. "You could be a huntress one day."_

 _Anna's eyes widened in surprise, and joy. She could finally go somewhere safe, have a life. She took his hand._

* * *

Alex groaned in discomfort as he woke up from being knocked out, shaking his head to remove the disorientation. He looked up at David, who had both dust pistols aimed down at him. Alex chuckled a little. "You've got a mean swing."

"What the hell do you want with us?" David demanded.

"You're a smart man, David. I can tell-" Alex complimented.

"How do you know my name?" David asked, aiming his pistols at Alex's head.

"I've been following both of you for a little under a week. I was sent to the crash site and found both of you scavenging for supplies. I'm the one who left the box of supplies for you." Alex told him. "You were smart enough to leave it behind instead of taking it. Can't really trust anyone, right?" David lowered his pistols.

"I'm going to ask again, what the hell do you want with us?" David asked again. Alex nodded his head to the side, gesturing to the direction.

"I'm from a community a few miles away from here, I want to bring you both back because you're both capable of fighting the Grymm, it's clear you're both hunters, at least in training." He explained

"Grymm?" He asked Alex.

"It's what we called the infected people, Grimm Hybrids: Grymm. It doesn't matter, what matters is that she's infected, and it looks bad." Alex noticed, looking at her arm. "I've never seen anything like that before, it usually takes a day or two for someone to succumb to to the infection, but she's survived a week."

"You can cure this?" David asked hopefully.

"Normally, I'd have to convince you both to come back with me, prove I'm not lying, but we don't have much time if she's to survive. There's a doctor back at my community who can try and fix that infection, save her life. Will you come back with me?" Alex asked David. Without hesitation, David dissipated his dust pistols, untied Alex and picked up Anna bridal style.

"How far?" David asked.

"Oh-if we run, we'll be there within the hour. You trust me that easily?" Alex asked, surprised.

"I have a great bullshit detector. You're telling the truth." David told him, and Alex 'hmm'd.

"Fair enough." Alex picked up his knifes, attaching them back to his belt. "Let's go." Alex ran down the stairs and out the house, David running just behind the stranger with Anna in his arms.

* * *

 **END OF CHAPTER FOUR**

* * *

 _But the film is a saddening bore  
For she's lived it ten times or more  
She could spit in the eyes of fools  
As they ask her to focus on..._

* * *

 **So, that's the end of what I call "Arc 1" of the story. Again, I apologise for the shortness of the chapter, but this is the best cut-off point for this chapter to lead into chapter five, which will definitely have a different feeling than being lost in a forest. And we met a new character, Alexander MacFarlane, who has apparently been following both David and Anna without them knowing. He must be good. Can they trust him, though?**

 **In the flashbacks, Anna is 7 years in old in all but the last one, where she is 10 years old when she meets Ozpin. In "A Special Semblance", it's revealed that when she was 13, she was captured by the white fang and rescued by David.**

 **She's had a complicated life.**

 **Also, if you're curious about the cover image, it was created on a website called "rinmarugames" and by selecting the "mega anime avatar creator". It's really cool, and has really helped to visualise Team DARK and other characters you'll see later in the story.**

 **As always, remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter five!**


	5. Cydonia

_**Song from Previous Chapter:**_

 _ **"Life on Mars"**_

 _ **Artist - David Bowie**_

* * *

 _Come ride with me, through the veins of history,  
I'll show you a god who falls asleep on the job,  
And how can we win when fools can be kings?  
Don't waste your time or time will waste you..._

* * *

Indiana narrowed his eyes as he followed a set of tracks on the floor, holding his assault rifle in the ready position. He burst through a group of bushes, raising his assault rifle and aiming at a group of grymm. He pulled the trigger and rapid-fired his weapon, killing the group of grymm before they realised that he was there. The gunfire attracted more grymm, which started surrounding him. "Come and get me, you bitches!"

Indiana stabbed a grymm through the skull with the bladed end of his assault rifle, slicing the blade down and dropping the body onto the floor. He grabbed another grymm by the neck, pinned it against a tree and slammed it's head against the tree, the head crushing against the tree until it was mush. He turned around, firing two bursts of his assault rifle, killing two grymm. He swung his fist, knocking back three grymm, and punched another grymm in the jaw and severing the head, killing it. More and more grymm surrounded him, he fired more shots, stabbed more grymm and pushed more back, but he was swarmed.

Indiana yelled, slamming his fist into the ground, the ground cracking and sending a wave, sending the grymm flying back. He got up, dropped his weapon and looked at the grymm with a huge grin.

"My name is Robert H. Indiana, and I hate INFECTED!" He yelled, charging at the grymm and killing them on contact. He spun around, cybernetic arm held out, smashing into swarms of grymm, smashing their skulls and beheading them. In a matter of seconds, near enough a hundred grymm were killed. Indiana stopped, sighed heavily and collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion, closing his eyes.

"That was impressive." Indiana, without even opening his eyes, reached up with his mechanical arm and grabbed the person by the neck. He got up, holding onto the person's neck. The person Indiana was near-choking was a man, maybe a couple of years older than he was, with long, light brown hair, green eyes with a scar on his left eye, and a pair of wolf ears on top of his head. He wore a black shirt with a green sleeveless leather jacket and a brown bag over his shoulder, with brown cargo pants and brown boots.

"Who. Are. You?" Indiana asked coldly, tightening the grip a little tighter.

"Some-someone who _really_ doesn't want to die." He answered, holding up his hands in innocence. "I'm Darren Hunter, people just call me Darren-."

"I don't give a _fuck_ what people call you. Have you been following us?" Indiana demanded.

"Y-Yes! It's my job to find people!" Darren yelled, gasping for air.

"Did you create that black hole? Did you _kill_ my partner!?" Indiana screamed, tightening his grip.

"Indiana, stop." Indiana turned to see Alex sitting on a rock, casually watching as Indiana choking Darren. Indiana released Darren and grabbed his assault rifle, aiming it at Alex.

"How do you know my name!?" He yelled.

"Listen, I'm Alex, Darren's my 'team mate'. I found David and Anna, I brought them back to my home. You know who they are, right?" Alex asked, Indiana lowering his weapon.

"You found them?" He asked, shocked.

"Yes. David asked me to come and find you, to bring you back home." Alex explained. Indiana attached his assault rifle to his back. "Will you come back?"

"If they are there, take me. If they aren't, I will kill you both." Indiana threatened. Alex just smiled a little.

"Trust me, I have no intentions of dying. Come on." Alex gestured, and the two of them walked through the forest, Darren covering their backs.

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG** **CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

* * *

 **DAY 7**

* * *

Alex vaulted over a collapsed tree, pushing himself forward and continued sprinting west. David leapt over the tree, landing with a thump and continued running after Alex, Anna in his arms, unconscious. "How much further!?" David yelled.

"Half a mile!" Alex answered, pushing a bush aside as he continued running, David right behind him. They continued sprinting through the forest for several minutes until they reached a massive clearing, the sight ahead of David astonishing to him. Stretching across the clearing was a wall of solid steel, 15 feet high, 10 feet wide slabs of solid steel, dozens of them stacked against each other in a large wall. It was impossible to see what was inside the walls from where they were. They continued running towards the right side, where a large gate stood, the front layer like prison bars, the back layer like a chain, linked fence.

"Open the gate!" Alex yelled, attracting the attention of a grymm in front of them. Alex ran up to the grymm and drop-kicked the grymm, getting up and stomping it's skull with his boot. The chain part of the gate was opened by a red haired man, a purple haired man aiming an assault rifle through a pair of bars.

"Alex, who is that?" The purple haired man asked. "And the woman?"

"Damn it, Hugh, it's a pair of hunters-in-training who need help. Open the gate!" Alex yelled at them.

"Alright, come on Wade." Hugh and Wade both opened the bar part of the gate, Alex running through the gate, David following in with Anna in his arms. David stopped, mouth opening a little in shock.

In front of him was a huge farm on the top right corner, a barn in front of it, dozens of houses to the left of it, a church, a blacksmith, a hospital on the top left corner of the walls, a huge castle on the bottom left corner, what appeared to be some kind of academy next to it, closer to the gate, a laboratory closer to them, and a tavern closer to the bottom right corner. Next to the gate was what appeared to be a miniature version of the CCT in Vale, with a long path connecting all the buildings from the gate.

It was a community.

"David, more time for sight-seeing later! She's dying in your arms!" Alex exclaimed, bringing David back to reality. The two ran along the path, multiple citizens moving out of the way as they reached the other corner of the community, and ran into the hospital. "Doc!"

"Alex? What are you doing back so early?" Doc walked out of his office, turning to them. He looked about 30 years old, had combed purple hair, purple eyes and a purple moustache and formed around his mouth and into a beard. He wore a collared purple shirt with a white doctor's coat. e looked at Anna in David's arms, more specifically at her infected arm. "Oh my..."

"Please...save her..." David begged weakly, trembling.

"Emily, get the gurney! We've got an infected!" Doc yelled, a young woman exiting the office. She was a couple of years older than David and Anna, had purple eyes, neck length blonde hair, some freckles on her face and a pair of blonde cat ears. She wore a white shirt with purple string keeping it together at her neck and a white doctor's coat. She quickly noticed Anna, and grabbed the gurney from the other side of the room. She rolled it over to David.

"Put her on, we'll do what we can." Emily assured him. Hesitantly, David put Anna on the gurney and Emily rolled her into a back room, Doc following after her. David sat down on one of the seats, helpless to do anything else. Alex sighed sitting down next to him.

"Welcome to Cydonia."

* * *

Hugh and Wade walked through the castle's throne room, reaching the base of the massive chair and both knelt on one knee in front of the man on the chair. He was in his mid 60's, had grey eyes, combed grey hair and a grey beard, wearing a white shirt and a white robe with grey detail. He had a golden crown on his head, showing his position as king.

"My lord, Alexander has returned from his scouting mission with two outsiders he claims to be hunters-in-training." Hugh told the king.

"Outsiders? Did you get their names?"

"No, my lord. One of them, a man, was carrying the other, a woman, who was unconscious. Her arm revealed she was in the late stages of the grymm infection. Alexander took both of them to the hospital." Wade informed him.

"Infected!? And you let them in?" He yelled angrily.

"My lord, if they are hunters-in-training, they can be valuable assets." Hugh noted. The king stroked his beard in thought.

"Bring the man to me." He ordered them.

"Yes, my lord." Hugh and Wade both got up, bowed to the king, and left. The king sighed in annoyance and leant back on his throne.

"Outsiders. How tiresome." He muttered.

"Lexus, outsiders are important for our community." A woman told him, entering the throne room. She looked to be in her 50's, had neck length, curly grey hair, brown eyes and a warm smile. She too wore a shirt and robe, but were grey instead of white, the robe also with black detail. On her head was a diadem, showing her position as queen.

"Linda, we know the rules: outsiders must see me before entering any facility in the community, and no infected are to enter the community." Lexus reminded her.

"I trust Alex enough to decide whether people should be let in or not. And if she is in dire need of help, why should we refuse when we can help?" Linda asked him. He just grunted and leant back, Linda sighing and leaving the throne room.

* * *

Emily entered the front of the hospital, David immediately rising to his feet and walking over to her. "Is she okay?"

"She'll live. It was very lucky you got here when you did. A few hours later and it may have been too late." Emily told David, who breathed heavily in relief. "The doctor managed to remove most of the infection by draining it with a syringe, like taking blood, but had to leave some inside her arm."

"Why?" David asked.

"The infection weakens a person by taking over certain body requirements. It drastically weakened her immune system. If it was all removed, a simple cold will kill her. The amount of grymm infection is minimal, and will be checked and removed when required." Emily explained to him. "How long was she infected? A day?"

"A week."

"A week!?" Emily yelled in surprise. "That's...incredible! Nobody has ever survived more than two days with the infection."

"Well, we're not exactly human, or faunus." David told her. "I'll explain it another time."

"Oh, okay." She told him. "What are your names?"

"I'm David. The woman the Doc saved is Anna, my team mate and girlfriend." David told her, sitting back down, wincing in pain a little.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked.

"Left leg's really hurting. I got a piece of metal stuck in it a week ago, and had to remove it." He said to Emily.

"Well, let's have a look, make sure it isn't infected." Emily pulled up his left trouser leg and examined the wound on the back of his shin. "Looks okay...I'll bandage that up."

"Thank you." David thanked as she left to get the bandages. David turned to Alex, who had been listening to the conversation. "Alex, can I ask a favour?"

"Sure."

"My team mates, Robert Indiana and Samantha Hunt are still out there, if they're alive. They can't be far from where we were, and I imagine they aren't doing any better than me and Anna were."

"Roger that. My partner, Darren, is still out there, he might of found them. Hold on." Alex reached into his pocket and took out his walkie-talkie. "Darren, come in."

" _Alex, I'm here._ " Darren responded

"Clearly. Have you found any survivors yet?" Alex asked.

" _I'm currently following a man, about 17, he's just luring and killing grymm. Must have a death-wish or something._ " Darren joked.

"What does he look like?" David asked Alex, Alex repeating the question.

" _Blue hair, about 6 feet tall, metal right arm. Good enough?_ " Darren asked.

"That's Indiana!" David yelled with a smile.

"Darren, I'm coming to you. How far away from Cydonia are you?" Alex asked Darren.

" _About...3 miles._ " Darren guessed.

"Alright, be there soon." Alex put the walkie-talkie back in his pocket. "You, stay here, I'll go get Indiana."

"Thank you." David thanked.

"Just doing my job." Alex said with a smirk, exiting the hospital. Right as he left, Emily entered with some bandaged.

"Alright, just keep your leg still while I bandage this up." She instructed him, who nodded. "So...not human or faunus..."

"To put it simply, both me and Anna were experimented on at different times in our lives. We were altered so we were stronger, faster and better than most people, and our semblances were altered to be much more advanced than usual. We call ourselves Inhumans." David explained.

"Interesting. I guess that explains how Anna fought off the grymm infection for so long." Emily noted, finishing the bandage wrapping. "It should be all good now, just don't put too much strain on it."

"Got it." David thanked, Emily giving a little smile and entering another room. At that moment, Hugh and Wade entered the hospital and walked over to David.

"You are to come with us." Hugh told him.

"I'm sorry?" David asked, getting to his feet.

"King Taub requests your presence. You must see him before we allow you and your people to stay." Wade informed David.

"...okay." David accepted, following the two men to the castle.

* * *

Hugh and Wade opened the door as David entered the throne room, looking at the vast, empty room. Tall, white pillars to support the structure with a long white carpet leading up to a throne at the other end of the room at the top of a small set of stairs. Lexus Taub was sitting in his throne, Linda standing next to him. David reached the base of the stairs and looked up at Lexus.

"You wanted to see me?" David asked him.

"Yes. My name is Lexus Taub, you will call me my lord or my king. Understand?" He asked.

"Yes. _My lord_." David answered with gritted teeth.

"Good. Now, you and your companion have entered my community and I expect you'll be staying, correct?" He asked. David just nodded. "I have been informed that both of you are hunters-in-training, which academy did you hail from?"

"Beacon Academy, in Vale." David answered.

"Ah yes, Ozpin's Academy. You must be out on some mission, I assume." Lexus guessed.

"You'd be right. Me and the rest of my team were on an airship to Vacuo until we crashed a few miles from here about a week ago. There was an outbreak of Grimm hybrids that we needed to deal with, but apparently it's worse than I expected." David explained. Lexus 'hmm'd.

"What is your name?" He asked.

"David...Branwen." David answered.

"So, you're the son of Qrow Branwen. I know him, he's done a couple of missions for us in the past. But from what everybody has heard, you call yourself David Xiao Long." Lexus noted.

"I prefer that name, I don't want to simply be known because of Qrow's reputation." David admitted.

"Then why did you tell me your name was David Branwen?" Lexus asked.

"Because of Qrow's reputation." David told him.

"Clever boy. Now, you and your companion..."

"Anna Kyle."

"...will have to earn your keep if you wish to remain in Cydonia. Linda, anything that may suit them?" Lexus asked her.

"Well, the Vytal Tournament is coming up, and it wouldn't hurt to have some hunters participate. He could train a team." Linda suggested.

"Yes, that would certainly help." Lexus agreed. "Then it is settled. You will train a four-person team of hunters to participate in the upcoming tournament. That's your job. When Miss Kyle wakes up, I will give her a job too. A pair of knights will take you to a vacant house that you and Miss Kyle can use while you live here, and you will see Miranda Sapphire afterwards."

"Alexander is out there looking for my other team mate. What if he comes back with him?" David asked.

"Then I will assign him a job and he'll stay with you. Anything else?" Lexus asked with an annoyed sigh.

" _No_. Thank you." David turned and left, Hugh and Wade opening the doors as David exited the castle.

* * *

Anna groaned in pain a little as she opened her eyes, slowly looking around the unfamiliar room, Emily and the Doc in the corner of the room talking to each other. Anna leant up a little, catching their attention.

"Ah, she's awake." Doc said, walking over to Anna. "How are you feeling?"

"...Better." Anna told him. "Where am I?"

"David came back to our community with our scout, Alexander, to help fix your grymm infection in your arm." Emily explained. "The Doctor removed much of the infection, but some had to remain to keep you alive. Oh, and I'm Emily."

"Anna." She replied. "Where's David?"

"A couple of knights took him to see the king, he should be back soon. Would you like anything?" Emily asked.

"Some water, please." Anna asked, leaning up a little more in the bed. Emily returned with a cup of water, Anna accepting it with an thanks and taking a sip. The Doctor pulled over a chair and sat next to Anna, holding a vial of black fluid in his hand. "What is that?"

"This is what was killing you. The grymm virus spreads through the body like blood, running through the veins until the entire body is infected. For most people, it will completely spread in a day and kill them, where they come back to life and try to infect more people. You, however, survived with this for a week, which I find is incredible." Doc explained to her.

"Well, I'm different to most." Anna told him.

"Your Inhuman, David told us. Do you remember how you became an Inhuman?" Doc asked, Anna tensing up a little.

"I-I was captured and experimented on by the white fang." Anna told them hesitantly, both of them visibly shocked.

"Oh, I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright, you couldn't have known. I was on a mission a few years ago and they caught me, and some mad scientist did this to me. David saved me before we even knew each other." Anna finished.

"Oh, how romantic." Emily said, causing Anna to blush a little.

"Well, while you were out, I tested your blood to see if there are any effects we weren't aware of, it seems like you'll be fine as long as we keep on top of that infection." Doc told her.

"Understood." Anna said with a small nod.

"Since you're awake now, you're clear to leave and find your friend." Doc said, moving out of the way so Anna could get out of the bed, stretching as she got up. As she was about to leave, two other knights entered the room. One of them had long, brown hair with green eyes while the other had black hair with brown eyes.

"Anna Kyle?" The black haired one asked.

"Yes?" She asked.

"I'm John, this is Bruce, we're here to escort you to a vacant house that you and David will be staying in." John told her.

"Oh-well lea the way." Anna said, a little surprised, following them both out of the hospital.

* * *

Indiana narrowed his eyes as he followed a set of tracks on the floor, holding his assault rifle in the ready position. He burst through a group of bushes, raising his assault rifle and aiming at a group of grymm. He pulled the trigger and rapid-fired his weapon, killing the group of grymm before they realised that he was there. The gunfire attracted more grymm, which started surrounding him. "Come and get me, you bitches!"

Indiana stabbed a grymm through the skull with the bladed end of his assault rifle, slicing the blade down and dropping the body onto the floor. He grabbed another grymm by the neck, pinned it against a tree and slammed it's head against the tree, the head crushing against the tree until it was mush. He turned around, firing two bursts of his assault rifle, killing two grymm. He swung his fist, knocking back three grymm, and punched another grymm in the jaw and severing the head, killing it. More and more grymm surrounded him, he fired more shots, stabbed more grymm and pushed more back, but he was swarmed.

Indiana yelled, slamming his fist into the ground, the ground cracking and sending a wave, sending the grymm flying back. He got up, dropped his weapon and looked at the grymm with a huge grin.

"My name is Robert H. Indiana, and I hate INFECTED!" He yelled, charging at the grymm and killing them on contact. He spun around, cybernetic arm held out, smashing into swarms of grymm, smashing their skulls and beheading them. In a matter of seconds, near enough a hundred grymm were killed. Indiana stopped, sighed heavily and collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion, closing his eyes.

"That was impressive." Indiana, without even opening his eyes, reached up with his mechanical arm and grabbed the person by the neck. He got up, holding onto the person's neck. The person Indiana was near-choking was a man, maybe a couple of years older than he was, with long, light brown hair, green eyes with a scar on his left eye, and a pair of wolf ears on top of his head. He wore a black shirt with a green sleeveless leather jacket and a brown bag over his shoulder, with brown cargo pants and brown boots.

"Who. Are. You?" Indiana asked coldly, tightening the grip a little tighter.

"Some-someone who _really_ doesn't want to die." He answered, holding up his hands in innocence. "I'm Darren Hunter, people just call me Darren-."

"I don't give a _fuck_ what people call you. Have you been following us?" Indiana demanded.

"Y-Yes! It's my job to find people!" Darren yelled, gasping for air.

"Did you create that black hole? Did you _kill_ my partner!?" Indiana screamed, tightening his grip.

"Indiana, stop." Indiana turned to see Alex sitting on a rock, casually watching as Indiana choking Darren. Indiana released Darren and grabbed his assault rifle, aiming it at Alex.

"How do you know my name!?" He yelled.

"Listen, I'm Alex, Darren's my 'team mate'. I found David and Anna, I brought them back to my home. You know who they are, right?" Alex asked, Indiana lowering his weapon.

"You found them?" He asked, shocked.

"Yes. David asked me to come and find you, to bring you back home." Alex explained. Indiana attached his assault rifle to his back. "Will you come back?"

"If they are there, take me. If they aren't, I will kill you both." Indiana threatened. Alex just smiled a little.

"Trust me, I have no intentions of dying. Come on." Alex gestured, and the two of them walked through the forest, Darren covering their backs.

* * *

David opened the door of the house, walking into the sitting room, looking around at the living accommodations they would be staying in. The sitting room has two sofas facing opposite to each other with a table between them, a TV against the wall with a window behind it. The room at the back was the kitchen, multiple appliances around the room with a rectangular table in the centre.

Opposite the doorway was a set of stairs, which Anna walked down with slightly wet hair and some new clothes. She wore a black vest, navy blue jeans, a brown belt and black boots. Around her neck was a piece of grey cloth ties in a knot.

"This place is massive, and they're just giving them away." Anna said to herself out loud, turning to find David. "Oh, didn't notice you." David walked over to her and pulled her into a hug, which she returned.

"I'm so glad you're better." David said, muffled by her shoulder. "And I like you're new outfit."

"Thank you, it seems they had it prepared for when we got here. It's gonna take a lot more than this to take me down." Anna joked, giving him a quick kiss, resting her head on his chest. "You stink."

"We were out there for a week, what do you expect?" David asked.

"Well, there is a hot shower upstairs, it was _unbelievable_ how much I missed it. I would have waited for you~" Anna said with a wink.

"But you didn't" David deadpanned.

"Sorry, too tempting." She told him, both of them chuckling a little.

"Am I interrupting?" They both turned to see Alex leaning on the doorway, a small smirk on his face.

"How did you even get in here?" David asked him. He just shrugged.

"I'm god at my job." Alex suggested.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Anna asked, letting go of David.

"I'm Alexander MacFarlane, I found both of you after you crashed and tailed you for a week. After you passed out, I brought you both here to Cydonia to save your life." Alex explained.

"Well, I'm grateful for saving me." Anna thanked him. He nodded to her.

"Well, since I'm here, might as well tell you I found Indiana, he's at the hospital." Alex told them nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" David asked, surprised.

"Hey! I just got here. You want to go see him, go ahead." Alex told them, exiting the house, David and Anna following just afterwards.

* * *

David, Anna and Alex entered the hospital, entering the back room to find Indiana sitting on one of the beds, Darren on the other with Doc examining his neck.

"Indiana, I'm so glad to see you." David said happily, walking over to him. Indiana didn't answer, looking at the floor. "Hey, what's up."

"She's dead." Indiana muttered.

"What?" David asked.

"Samantha. She's dead." He repeated. David slowly backed away, sitting down on one of the beds with wide eyes. Anna covered her mouth with her eyes watering. David looked at the floor, grabbing at his hair, breathing heavily.

"It's my fault." David muttered to himself. "I brought her here, for my own selfish, _bullshit_ reason. She should be back at Signal."

"It's my fault, I needed to protect her, it was just me and her. I just-I lost her!" Indiana yelled, slamming his fist on the table, smashing it.

"H-How did it happen?" Anna asked, sniffling away her tears.

"It was...some kind of...black hole. It just _sucked_ us in. She was just ahead of me, I tried to catch her, but I couldn't. And she was just...gone." Indiana collapsed onto the bed.

"I'm...really sorry to hear this, David. Truly." Alex told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Darren, you never saw a girl?"

"Never." Darren answered weakly, rubbing his throat. "I only saw him. She must have disappeared before I arrived."

"I-I have to go." David got up, and left the room.

"He needs time, this will be hard on him." Anna told them. "I know that.

"I'll go keep an eye on him." Alex told them, leaving the hospital. Doc walked over to Indiana.

"You weren't bit, but you're dehydrated and malnourished. Get some food and water, get some rest, you'll be all better in a couple of days." Doc told him, who was barely listening to him. Anna sat down on one of the beds, tears streaming from her eyes.

* * *

David walked into the main entrance of the academy, walking into the elevator and hitting the button for the top floor. Before the door closed, it opened and Alex walked in, the door closing. The elevator started to rise, both of them in relative silence.

"How you holding up?" Alex asked David.

"A few minutes after finding out my friend just died? I'm doing swell." David said sarcastically.

"Hey, no need to be hostile." Alex told him, holding his hands up as if to surrender.

"Well, I feel awful. It's my fault she was even out here. Last thing I need is the thought of a 13 year old girl plaguing my mind when I need to secure a home for the rest of my team." David told Alex.

"Well, good to know. Just making sure you're alright." Alex told David.

"Why? You don't even know me." David asked.

"I'm like you. We're both good guys with great bullshit detectors. I know Darren saw her, I'm going to have a brief conversation with him, find out what happened to Samantha." Alex told David.

"Why didn't you say anything?" David asked him, surprised a little.

"I know a liar, but I'm no snitch. I'll talk to him, find out what he knows." Alex assured. The elevator opened and they both entered the office. David looked around at the office, it had a wall completely composed of a window, two walls filled with bookshelves and books, and the back wall with several computers. Near the glass wall was a desk, a woman standing in front of it.

She looked to be in her early fifties with dark blue eyes and combed grey hair on top and curly hair down to just past her neck. She wore a white shirt, a blue suit jacket with blue suit trousers and a blue bow-tie. She walked towards us.

"Hello David, I am Miranda Sapphire." She introduced herself, holding out her hand. David took it and shook it.

"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am." David said back.

"Oh, don't call me that, too formal. Just Miranda will do." She said to him. "And good to see you again, Alex, it's been a while."

"Yep, been busy scouting for people. More interesting than hunter training." Alex joked, Miranda looking at him unamused.

"And I was just getting used to the peace in this academy." Miranda sighed, walking around her desk and sitting down. "King Taub informed me of what your new job is here, David, and I am here to assist you in selecting the team."

"Perfect. How man are there?" David asked.

"64 students are at this academy, we can only afford to train four by the time the Vytal Tournament arrives." She picked up a scroll on her desk. "This scroll contains all the data we have on all 64 applicants. Read over them tonight and tell me which four would be best for the tournament." David too the scroll and started scanning through it. A minute later, he handed it back.

"I pick Candidates 1, 7, 13 and 49." David told her.

"You read that all already? That was impressive." Alex noted, sitting slightly on the desk.

"I only looked for one consistent variable: why they became hunters. These four are the only one's who didn't have the same old 'to help those who cannot help each other' reason. These four are unique, so I pick them." David explained. Miranda looked at the scroll, looking at the candidates.

"Candidate 1: Xander Silver. 17 years old, male, 5' 8", human, silver haired, silver eyes. His weapons are a pair of machine pistols and a pair of daggers. His parents left him here when he was a baby and has been an orphan since. Hmm... he does have an alcohol problem." Miranda told them, concerned a little.

"Trust me, alcohol isn't a problem. Qrow is living proof of that." David told her, and she couldn't disagree.

"Candidate 7: Amber Carmine. 17 years old, female, 5' 5", human, blonde haired, amber eyes. Her weapon is a small metallic rod that liquefies to make armour over certain body parts. She has a twin sister." Miranda stopped for a moment to look for her.

"Candidate 49: Umber Carmine. 17 years old, female, 5' 5", faunus-"

"A twin of human and faunus? Has that ever happened before?" David asked her.

"Not that I've seen before, and I've seen a lot of things. Uhh...her faunus attribute is a monkey tail, brown haired, umber eyes. Her weapons are the same as Amber's. Amber applied pretty early, and convinced her sister later." Miranda finished.

"And the final candidate?" Alex asked.

"Candidate 13: Vanessa Hazel. 17 years old, female, 5' 7", human, hazel brown haired, hazel brown eyes. Her weapons are 16 daggers, 14 attached to her belt and two up her sleeves, and a 7-chamber revolver. From what I've seen, she's seems most suitable for being the leader of this team." Miranda told them both.

"Does she think that?" David asked.

"She's...not over enthusiastic about the role." Miranda told him, putting the scroll back down.

"I'll talk to her, see what she thinks." David told her, getting to his feet. "Is there anything else you need?"

"No, you are both dismissed." Miranda ushered them out, David and Alex entered the elevator and left.

* * *

David turned off the shower, sighing as he finally felt clean after a week in the wild. He exited, dried himself and got changed into the clothes left for him. A grey button-up short sleeve shirt, black jeans, black belt with black boots. He put on his dust-infused fingerless gloves and attached his daggers to his belt. He picked up an open fleece jacket, but put it back, opting not to wear that right now. David exited the room, closing it and leaving to go downstairs.

David stopped when he heard someone crying in the other room. He walked in to see Indiana sitting on the edge of the bed, quietly crying. He was wearing a new outfit, a black jacket with a grey hoodie underneath with blue detail, blue jeans and black trainers. David entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"You alright?" David asked him. Indiana quickly looked up, wiping his tears away and looking at David.

"Oh, uhh, hey. Yeah, I'm good." Indiana lied.

"Like hell you are, you're lying." David called him out.

"How would you know?" Indiana accused.

"Everybody Lies." David said his credo. Indiana sighed.

"I just-I just can't believe she's gone. I've killed people before, people who might have families, kids, but I know they were bad people, they deserved it. Samantha _didn't_. She was just a kid, an innocent, young aspiring huntress who's _dead_. I-I was meant to keep her safe, we were team mates. I-I..." He covered his face with his hands. "I miss her." David walked over to him, sitting down and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I miss her too, missed you both. I'm glad you're back, and I hate to admit that I'm trying not to think about Samantha, because it hurts when I do. All I can say is that we have to adapt to this place, try and find out about these grymm...and move on." David told him, who didn't respond. David sighed sadly, getting up. "Don't eat yourself up." David exited the room, closing the door and went downstairs, where Alex and Anna were talking. "Thanks for waiting for me."

"Not a problem. You look great by the way." Anna told him with a wink.

"Ignoring the flirting, why am I here? I have a job, you know?" Alex reminded.

"Right to the point: when I was searching that scroll Miranda gave me, there were four candidates that were locked. I want to find out who they are." David told him.

"Oh, you're looking for the prisoners. I've 'visited' them a couple of times. Not easy to get into." Alex told them both. "We need to sneak into the prison behind the castle, and we need Miranda's scroll."

"I can get the scroll." Anna told him. "Can't catch someone you can't see, right?"

"Perfect! Meet me and David at the back of the castle at midnight, I'll get you in." Alex told them.

"But, why help us? Isn't this like, treason or something?"

"Well, it is, but I don't like King Taub, so I don;t really care. Queen Linda gave me the pass-code to enter the prison after I took the job as the scout." Alex explained.

"Alright, we meet at midnight." David told them.

* * *

David and Alex sneaked around the side of the castle towards the closed off section against the wall.

"Why are we sneaking, are people out here?" David asked.

"Most people will be asleep, but the knights of Cydonia manage the perimeter, making sure nobody sneaks in and does anything to the castle. I had to give my brother a good explanation why I was coming out." Alex told David.

"Brother?" David raised an eyebrow.

"John MacFarlane, my older brother, is one of the four knights. He escorted Anna to your house earlier today." Alex explained.

"Someone say my name?" Anna asked, surprising Alex.

"Where did you come from?" He asked.

"I can turn invisible, can't catch someone you can't see, right?" Anna asked with a smirk.

"Right...scroll?" Alex asked, Anna showing him it. He took it and pressed a few buttons. "Miranda interviewed the four prisoners before they were locked up, you better watch these before we go in. I'll get the door." Alex handed the scroll back to Anna and went over to a keypad, pressing a few buttons. It flashed red. "Oh, for fuck sake. Pass-code has changed, this'll take a while." Alex sighed, removing the cover of the the keypad. David and Anna looked at the screen as Anna picked the first file.

* * *

 _"Today is...January 5th, I am recording this interview for future reference and under King Taub's orders." Miranda picked up the camera and put it across the table, showing a short woman handcuffed to the table. She had choppy purple hair, purple eyes that filled the entire eye with a small amount of purple veins emanating from them and pale skin. "Please state your name, age and height."_

 _"Noir Void, 17, 5 foot."_

 _"Please explain your past and why you are here."_

 _"Umm...I had my aura self awoken when I was young when I was under the care of my fake family. They abused me, forcing my aura to awake, I kept it hidden from them so they wouldn't realise I could heal from their attacks. When it was unlocked, a demon sensed my anger and hatred of my fake family, and possessed me and attempted to take over my body."_

 _"You were possessed...by a demon?"_

 _"Yeah, I managed to fight it off, so it festers inside me, working with my body to make me stronger. Whenever I sleep, it takes over, but cannot wake me up. Uhh...my semblance awakened when my fake sibling tormented me...about my real parents...telling me they were dead. But they're not!"_

 _"Noir, calm down. Please, continue."_

 _"My semblance activated, and when I attacked her, I saw her timeline, everything she has done and everything she will do."_

 _"Psychometry? That is incredibly rare."_

 _"Afterwards, I discovered I could see something's timeline by simply touching it, whether it be a person or an object. I touched my fake parents and saw they died in quick succession. The demon told me to control the father and make him kill the entire family and to slice his own neck."_

 _"The demon told you to do this? It controlled you?"_

 _"No, I wanted to do it. It felt soooo good watching them choke on their own blood, those fuckers deserved it! Uhh...a few days later, the police came and found the family dead in a positional circle around me, and they sent me here." Noir finished._

 _"...I am authorising the lock up of Noir Void, end of interview."_

* * *

"Oh my god." Anna put a hand over her mouth in shock, David looked blankly at the floor, processing what he just heard.

"Oh, trust me, it get's better." Alex joked, pulling out a wire. "One down...three to go..."

* * *

 _"Today is August 28th_ _, I am recording this interview for future reference and under King Taub's orders." Miranda picked up the camera and put it across the table, a tall, strong woman sitting opposite her, handcuffed to the table. She had long, dark brown hair in a single braid, golden eyes and pale skin, bar the black tattoo lines coming down from her eyes._ _"Please state your name, age and height."_

 _"Xerxes the Bane, I look 17...but even I've forgotten how old I really am, 7 foot."_

 _"You're real name."_

 _"Xerxes the Bane is my tribal name."_

 _"Please explain your past and why you're here."_

 _"I come from a tribe of Amazonian varlords, ve possess immense power, both on a physical level and spiritual level. My aura and semblance vere both unlocked during one of my tribe's sacrificial ceremony, I vas bathed in the blood of the women in my tribe vho vere born in the opposing season to my birth."_

 _"...Interesting. I noticed your accent, it's something I haven't heard very often."_

 _"Yes, my tribe has a distinct accent, very beautiful. Vhen my semblance unlocked, I discovered it was the ability to drain people's souls, I need direct line of sight to use it. One of my trials vas to go to a nearly village and steal souls to gain more power. I shared a room vith several vomen with...strong aura's, I had to have them."_

 _"You stole their souls. That is...horrible."_

 _"I don't take joy in doing it, but it-it just feels so good to take souls, it's almost as good as sex. They don't die, they just fell...empty, as if their senses had been dulled to the extreme. When night came, I stole five vomen's souls, and it felt incredible...but I was caught, some hunter vas nearby and caught me, and I was sent here." Xerxes finished._

 _"...I am authorising the lock up of Xerxes the Bane, end of interview."_

* * *

"That is disgusting." Anna looked away from the screen, thinking about those women.

""You can't blame her, what if you could do something better than sex, wouldn't you?" Alex asked her.

"We've never had sex." David told him.

"Well, you're gonna have to wait a while, rules say that women under 30 cannot have sex. Banned lemons too, for some reason." Alex told them.

"What!? That's the stupidest rule ever!" Anna yelled. David quickly covering her mouth, letting her go as she sighed. "Why?"

"You know the story of the seasons?" Alex asked, which they nodded. "Well, King Taub takes the whole 'maiden' thing too seriously, he hopes that a citizen of Cydonia will become one if they remain a virgin." David and Anna glanced at each other, confused, and played the next video.

* * *

 _"Today's date is March 19th,_ _I am recording this interview for future reference and under King Taub's orders." Miranda picked up the camera and put it across the table, a middle sized, scantily dressed woman opposite her, handcuffed to the table. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin and a seductive smirk. "Please state your name, age and height."_

 _"Ooo, dominant female role, so hot~"_

 _"Name. Age. Height."_

 _"No foreplay, huh~? Well, I'm Hecate Smith, I'm 17 years old, 5 foot 5 inch and D cup."_

 _"I didn't need to know that last part._ _Please explain your past and why you're here."_

 _"Well, I was born into a travelling caravan, which I stayed in for the majority of my childhood. Since supplies were minimal, I was given minimal rations since I didn't serve the caravan and earn my keep. When I was about 14, the leader of the caravan decided that I could get money from the men of towns we visited, since according to him, I was quite pleasing to the eye~"_

 _"You...became a prostitute?"_

 _"Yep! It's so great, sex for money? No downside! Anyway, one man I...'entertained' took pity on my story and unlocked my aura and semblance after paying for cuddling afterwards. When the caravan leader found out, he gave me more supplies to keep me more...filled in."_

 _"A hunter unlocked your aura? Do you know who?"_

 _"I don't know, I didn't ask for his name. About a year later, a became alluring to everyone, turning heads of men and woman who saw me. One night, the Atlesian military was searching for illegal goods, and the caravan leader sent me to 'service' one of the generals, some metal-head, for taking our goods. After we finished, I made an aura blade and sliced off his right arm, I almost took his head off, but he overpowered me, almost killed me but guards intervened. Afterwards, I was sent here." Hecate finished with a smile._

 _"I am authorising the lock up of Hecate Smith, end of interview."_

* * *

"Holy shit." David muttered, Anna looking away from the screen in disgust. "Was that general..."

"Ironwood? Haven't a clue, might be, he does has that metal chip on his forehead." Alex remembered, putting the cover of the keypad back on. "This will only take a moment, watch the last one, it's quite sad in my opinion."

Reluctantly, David and Anna watched the final interview.

* * *

 _"The day today is April 1st,_ _I am recording this interview for future reference and under King Taub's orders." Miranda picked up the camera and put it across the table, a middle sized woman shuffling nervously opposite Miranda. She had jet black hair with tiny glittering lights in it, light blue eyes and pale skin with several scars on her arms and a couple on her face._ _"Please state your name, age and height."_

 _"Sky Breaker, 17, 5 foot."_

 _"Please explain your past and why you're here."_

 _"I, uhh, I was raised by a 'family' that conditioned me since birth to mould me into a weapon with my semblance and altering my personality to be cold and ruthless. Without them knowing, I found a way to sneak out and visit other people, and I found out that the 'family' I lived with were a cult trying to create the most powerful hunters."_

 _"Oh my...please, continue."_

 _"Uhh, I continuously sneaked away from the cult and learnt about the outside world, where I learnt about aura and self awakening. Unfortunately, I was found out and detained inside their house and they crushed my beliefs on the outside world, both mentally...and physically."_

 _"Oh my god, that's terrible. Are-are you alright?"_

 _"I-I'm good, I just, do you want me to continue?"_

 _"If you're capable."_

 _"Over the span of about a year, I worked on my self-awakening and experimenting on my aura. I used my aura to unlock the door detaining me and escaped, but the 'family' hunted me down for recapture. I ended up at a school campus, hundreds of children on lunch break, and when the 'family' almost caught me, I used my semblance for the first time. I-I crushed the entire school, and killed everyone on campus except me, I killed...all those children. I ran, and ran for over a month until a huntress caught me, and decided to send me here." Sky finished, wiping away a tear._

 _"I-I don't authorise the lock up of Sky Breaker. End on interview."_

* * *

"That's...so sad." Anna muttered, wiping away her won tears.

"Why did you show us this?" David asked Alex.

"Because she is locked up in this prison. When Miranda went to King Taub about her case, he rejected her proposal to send Sky to a foster family and ordered her lock up. It didn't turn out all bad, Hecate and Sky actually started a relationship, and it's helping them both. They only have two cells, Noir and Xerxes in one and Hecate and Sky in the other." Alex told them, and pressed a button, the keypad flashing red. "Oh, for-" Alex punched the keypad, the door opening. "...Success!"

"About time, I can't watch another interview." David handed the scroll back to Alex.

"I'll keep watch." Alex told them, leaning on the wall.

The two of them entered the doorway and down a set of stairs, eventually reaching a narrow corridor, two prison cell doors on each side of the corridor. David looked into the left cell, Xerxes lying on her bunk, reading a book while Noir was curled up in the corner of the cell, asleep in the nude. The right cell had a curtain covering the cell door, the sound of thrusting and giggling on the other side. Xerxes lowered her book and looked at David.

"So, you've finally come." Xerxes's eyes widened a little, putting down her book and walking over to the cell door, David taking a step back. She was wearing a light grey T-shirt, grey joggers and white trainers, the sleeves ripped off the shirts.

"You...knew I would come?" David asked her, looking up slightly.

"Yes. Noir told me _veek's_ ago that David Xiao Long _vould_ come to Cydonia." Xerxes explained.

"Well...what about the other two?" David pointed to the other cell.

"Sex, it's all they really do. There isn't much to do in prison." Xerxes told him. "Hecate! Sky!" Rustling came from the other cell, and the curtain pulled back, revealing the two women, wearing the same clothing as Xerxes, but Hecate had the collar of her shirt torn off to show more cleavage and the bottom of the shirt ripped off. Sky had the bottom of her shirt ripped off, both of them blushing a little.

"Ooo, a man. It's been a while since I've seen someone with man parts. God, I've missed it..." Hecate sighed in thought.

"Hecate, it's David." Xerxes told her. She gasped.

"She said! She said you'd come!" Hecate exclaimed excitedly.

"What do you mean?" Anna asked, stepping forward.

"Noir can see the future and past of someone or something's timeline. She saw you both coming." Sky told her, wrapping her arms around Hecate's waist.

"Well, I'm here to make you all an offer." David told the three of them. "Can you wake up Noir?"

"No, _ven_ she is asleep, the demon is in control. She _vakes_ up _ven_ the demon loses control." Xerxes told him.

"I'm creating a team of hunters to fight in the Vytal Tournament, but I don;t know if they will be ready in time. You four are all of age, and qualified, and I trust all of you." David told them. "If you fight in the tournament without causing trouble, I can help you al out, make life better for you in prison."

"Can't you just let us out? I'll make it worth your while~" Hecate said with a wink. Anna narrowed her eyes at her.

"You're all in here for a reason, you're all dangerous. And that is what I need right now. I can;t get you out of here, but I can make your life better." David offered. The three girls looked at each other.

"I _vill_ fight i the tournament for my friends." Xerxes told David, who nodded.

"I'm in, if she's in." Hecate said, gesturing to Sky.

"We're in." Sky confirmed with a small smile.

"I will." Noir spoke up, walking up to the bars and holding onto them, David and Anna averting their eyes from her nude form. "We're a team."

* * *

David and Anna exited the prison, Alex closing and locking the door behind them. "So...how'd it go?"

"They're in. I just need to talk to Miranda about this and we'll be all set." David told him.

"David...what are you really thinking?" Alex asked with a small sigh.

"This place...it's perfect. There are no Grimm, all the grymm are locked outside the walls, this place is sustainable and _safe_. But these people, they take it for granted. Sooner or later, grymm are going to get inside, and they're gonna _die_. I'm not gonna let that happen." David told him.

"We won't" Anna agreed, Alex nodding too.

"If they can't keep this place safe... _we'll just take it from them_."

* * *

 _No one's gonna take me alive...  
The time has come to make things right...  
You and I must fight for our rights...  
You and I must fight to survive..._

* * *

 **Holy hell, this was a _really_ fucking long chapter. Literally OVER 9000!**

 **Just kill me now.**

 **Anyway, we met a bunch of new characters, a new location and a new angle on this story, much more darker, grittier, and just plain darker. This story is just getting started!**

 **Also, I want to personally thank a friend of mine on Fan Fiction, Ou0, for creating the OC's Noir, Xerxes, Hecate and Sky for this story, appearance, personality and back story. They have been a tremendous help, and I can't thank them enough.**

 **And, as always, remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter six!**

* * *

Wanda whistled quietly as she drew in her book, her knees up in the air swinging as she lay on her bed. She was wearing a white vest, light blue jeans, a black belt, white fingerless gloves and brown boots.

 _Wanda_

"Yes, Grandma?" Wanda asked.

 _They're here_

Wanda stopped drawing. "They...they're actually there?"

 _Yes. You're parents have arrived_

Wanda shot up in joy. "Yes! Yes! I've waited so long for this day!"

 _Calm down, calm down. You need to get packed, it's a long journey to Cydonia_

"It'll be fun! Like a walk in the park." Wanda muttered to herself with a huge grin, gathering food, water and other supplies into her bag, put it onto her back and went down the stairs of her house to the front door. She picked up a knife and attached it to her belt, leaving the house on the long journey to Cydonia.


	6. Black

_**Song from Previous Chapter:**_

 _ **"Knights of Cydonia"**_

 _ **Artist - Muse**_

* * *

 _I see a line of cars and they're all painted black,  
With flowers and my love both never to come back.  
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away,  
Like a newborn baby, it just happens everyday._

* * *

"Chastity! Chastity!" David yelled while jogging through the forest, a small group of grymm behind him. David stopped, summoned a dust pistol and shot each of the grymm in the head, dropping them and dissipating his pistol. He continued running through the forest, yelling for Chastity. Alex sprinted after David, moving around the grymm's bodies.

"David!" Alex yelled, catching up to David. "Just stop for one second!"

"What!?" David yelled, turning to Alex.

"David, we've been searching for hours, you're exhausted, you're about to collapse. David, it's getting dark." Alex reasoned.

"I can see in the dark. I'm not going to let a little girl suffer out here in the forest, a girl who's _bitten_. She'll die if I don't find her." David told Alex.

"I know that, but she might be in Cydonia, we don't know if they found her. Listen, I know Vanessa matters a lot to you, but you're going to die if you stay out here anymore. Then, I'm gonna die trying to get you home. Now, let's get home before we both get _fucking devoured_ by _undead monsters_!" Alex yelled, David looking at him, shocked.

"I-I didn't know you could even get that mad." David said, shocked.

"Trust me, I don't like doing that, but I'm trying to keep us both alive. I'm sorry we didn't find Chastity, but Vanessa will understand why we had to come back. I swear, as soon as the sun comes up, I'll go out and find her." Alex promised. David hesitated, but accepted.

"OK, let's go." David and Alex began jogging back to Cydonia, but David stopped.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"Shh!" David silenced him, unsheathing one of his daggers and walking towards a group of bushes, Alex following behind him. David pushed the bushes aside and froze. In a large clearing was a herd of hundreds of grymm, all stumbling towards David and Alex after David fired his dust pistol. Immediately after, David shot backwards, collapsing to the floor and quickly got back to his feet.

"What is it!?" Alex exclaimed.

"Grymm! A whole damn lot of them! _Run_!" David grabbed Alex, dragging him briefly as they both sprinted from the herd. They stopped when the herd started surrounding them, cutting them off. They stood back to back, David raising his dagger while Alex unsheathed his knifes.

"Shit."

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER SIX**

* * *

 **DAY 21**

* * *

David slipped on his right fingerless glove, then the left, and opened the bedside draw to retrieve his daggers. He reached for them, but stopped when he found the destroyed remains of his energy sword. He picked it up, observed it briefly and put it into his pocket, proceeding to pick up his daggers and sheath them. David looked back at Anna, who was still asleep in her bed, and he exited the room, walked down the stairs and exited the house and into the sunlight.

He raised his hand to block out the sun, narrowing his eyes slightly, lowering his arm. He walked down the path, past multiple Cydonians, some of them greeting him, which David would return with a nod. David turned on the path and walked up to the blacksmith store, the blacksmith banging his hammer on an anvil against red-hot metal.

"How's the hammering going, William?" David asked the blacksmith. He looked to be in his late 50's with grey hair, grey eyes and a grey goatee. He wore a collared white T-shirt, black trousers and a black apron. It's said that he personally knows every citizen of Cydonia, and what they do to provide to the community.

"'T's good, Dav'd." William answered, hammering the metal again.

"So, people say you know everyone, right?" David asked the blacksmith.

"R'ght." William confirmed.

"Well, I noticed there was a laboratory in the walls, who runs it?" David asked the old man.

"Man by the name of Joshua Wayne, a br'll'ant, man'acal, sc'ent'st. Why do you want to see h'm?" William asked.

"Got something to show him, something I don't know about." David explained. "How's the gift going?"

"Ah, your fa'r lad'es weapon! 't w'll be done soon, ' assure you, on t'me and top qual'ty for your lady." The blacksmith boasted, David chuckling lightly.

"Thank you, William. I have to go and meet Vanessa for her training, have a good day." David waved him off, the blacksmith continuing with the hammering. "One thing first."

* * *

Indiana stumbled into _Adele's_ and sat down at the front bar, groaning as he rubbed his forehead. The woman behind the bar, Adele, walked over to him.

"Hey, Indiana. What can I get ya?" Adele asked.

"Beer." Indiana told her.

"At this time, sun's barely up." She told him, concerned.

"I don't really care." He sighed. Adele sighed and got him his drink.

"Are you drinking to forget?" She asked, leaning on the desk a little.

"No, I'm drinking to remember." Indiana answered, taking a sip of beer.

* * *

David walked up to the lab, the doors automatically opening for him. He 'hmm'd' and entered, looking around the room. The walls, floor and roof were all pale white with several desks around the room, lab equipment on each of them. The scientist, Joshua, was typing on his computer at speeds that Ruby would fail to meet.

Joshua appeared to be in his mid-forties, 5' 6" tall, light brown hair that was all over the place, green eyes with glasses over them and a cut on the left side of his mouth. He wore a red T-shirt, light blue jeans and a white lab coat. He looked up at David, eyes widening.

"Ah, I've been waiting for you, David!" He called out.

"You...were?" David asked, slightly confused.

"Trust me, everybody in Cydonia has been to see me at least once, you're no exception. What can I do for ya?" Joshua asked enthusiastically.

"I was wondering if you could tell me about this." David held out his destroyed energy sword. Joshua quickly look it, holding it up to his eyes.

"Ah, this is a weapon, if I am not mistaken. Not the first of it's kind that I have seen. Although, it appears to have been crushed, and whatever did it was incredibly strong." Joshua observed.

"Yeah, it was." David remembered Crane.

"I wonder if it still has it." Joshua bent the metal and it snapped in half, a glowing blue crystal dropping to the floor. "I knew it!"

"Knew what?" David asked, Joshua sprinting across the room and grabbing a thick leather glove, picking up the crystal in his right hand.

"This is a crystal left behind by a civilisation from thousands of years ago. They work as a power source, but also as an artificial intelligence." Joshua explained.

"An AI, that's not what I was expecting." David said to himself.

"Ah, but it is hypothetical, I have yet to create said AI. Now, I can only assume you need a new weapon." Joshua assumed right.

"Right."

"I can create a weapon for you, a 'light sabre' using this crystal, something so powerful it can cut through anything. But, I have a condition!" Joshua yelled.

"Name it." David said, approaching him.

"I have in my possession a similar crystal, red in colour, that I can use to create an AI! But, I lack the proper coding for it. Now you, you owned an AI, you know how to make them. This AI will be nothing like the one's that you have seen, it will be incredible, intellectual, inconceivable! Wait, not that last one." Joshua muttered to himself. "If you provide me with the schematics for your previous AI, I will create your weapon."

David thought about it for a second. Epsilon was a good AI, got his own body, protecting Team RWBY. Penny is odd, but a good hearted AI, an ally of Epsilon and Team RWBY. Ultramega, however, it a threat that can endanger them all. Laws of averages would lead to another bad one to even it out, but David doesn't agree with that.

Even laws lie.

"Done." David wrote down a line of coding on a piece of paper. "This is your missing link, how long for the weapon?"

"Ah, I can have it made in a matter of hours! Now, leave! I have work to do!" Joshua exclaimed, rushing over to his desk and continued typing. David shook his head amusingly, exiting the lab.

* * *

Vanessa finished drying her plate and put it back into the cupboard, throwing the towel next to the sink and she picked up her hazel brown leather jacket, putting it back on. Vanessa was 17 years old, 5' 7" tall, human with hazel brown hair and eyes. She wore a black tank top, dark blue jeans with a brown belt and brown boots, along with a hazel brown leather jacket. Attached to her belt magnetically were 14 daggers, another two daggers in the sleeves of her jacket, one in each. Inside the left side of her jacket was a revolver. She looked at the kitchen table, a bowl of cereal left uneaten. She sighed.

"Chastity! Breakfast!" Vanessa yelled to her younger sister, who was still upstairs. After several moments, Vanessa sighed in annoyance and exited the kitchen, walking up the stairs and knocking on her sisters door, getting no response. She tried to open it, but it was locked. "Chastity? Chastity, are you in there?" Vanessa asked, and she got no answer.

Vanessa sighed in frustration, walking down the stairs and exiting her house, walking around to the back of the house and to the tree in the back garden, climbing up the tree and balancing her arms out as she walked along a branch up to her sister's window. She looked through the glass and around the room, and sighed a little in relief when she saw her sleeping under the covers.

"Guess she fell asleep with the door locked." Vanessa thought out loud. She turned and started walking back along the branch, but froze in place, eyes widened and mouth opened slightly in fear. Hanging down from a branch above her was a spider at eye level, she slowly backed away, not taking her eye off the spider. Missing her footing, she tripped and fell, yelping in surprise. She landed with an 'oof' inside David's arms.

"You need to watch your footing, 13, you could have broken your leg with that fall." David joked, Vanessa blushing a little, turning away from him. David let go of her, she fell to the ground, not reacting properly. David sighed, offering her a hand, which she accepted and got up to her feet. "What were you doing up there?"

"Oh, Chastity is still asleep, but she kept her door locked by accident." Vanessa explained.

"Yeah, Anna is too." David told her. "So, ready for training?"

"Yeah." Vanessa answered with a smile, the two of them walking off to where they train.

* * *

Alex sighed as he exited the elevator into Miranda's office, approaching the headmistress who had a...disappointed expression on her face, sitting behind her desk. Alex walked over and sat down opposite her. "Hey, Miranda, how's it going?"

"Alex, I know you took David and Anna to see the prisoners." Miranda told him with a stern look. Alex just sighed.

"Yeah, I've been waiting for this. Only took you...two weeks. I expected two days." Alex told her with a smirk. Miranda glared at him.

"You know full well that they are in prison for a reason. They're dangerous, and I sent them there because I _know_ they're dangerous." Miranda explained to Alex.

"What about Sky? Is she dangerous?" Alex accused, Miranda looking away a little.

"I-I know she's dangerous. But for a different reason. She can't control her semblance, she could kill us all if she loses control." Miranda reminded.

"David is helping her control her semblance. Telekinesis and Altering Gravity aren't that different when you think about it. It's only been two weeks, and she's walking on walls." Alex informed her. "David wants them to be a second team for the Vytal Tournament, and I agree with him. I have faith in Team HAUS, but Team NXHS has a head start."

"NXHS?" Miranda cocked an eyebrow.

"Noir, Xerxes, Hecate, Sky, it's what we call them." He told the headmistress.

"Look...I'm not saying I disagree with David's choice, but it's treason to let them out of prison, even if it's only at night. If Lexus find out, you'll be banished along with David and Anna, and he'll probably use this as an excuse to get me out." Miranda told him. "Between us...Lexus doesn't like how much power I have here at Cydonia."

"King Taub doesn't like anyone in Cydonia, he hates my brother and he's one of his knights! How much closer can you get?" Alex grumbled.

"As headmistress, I have the most power in Cydonia besides Lexus and Linda. Lexus sees me as threat. And let's admit, we both see him as a fool, and it a risk to Cydonia and it's people. How about we make a deal." Miranda suggested.

"...I'm listening." Alex folded his arms, lifting his legs up onto the desk. Miranda glared at him, and he lowered his legs.

"If you can find information on Lexus that can be used against him, I promise that I will use all of my credibility and power to get both teams to the Vytal Tournament." Miranda promised.

"Throw in enough lien for a round at _Adele's_ and you've got a deal." Alex told Miranda. She 'hmm'd'.

"Agreed." They shook hands.

"I'll see you around, Miranda." Alex got up, walking towards the elevator.

"When are you going to start showing me some respect!?" Miranda yelled at him.

"When the Phoenix the Immortal comes back to Remnant!" Alex joked, entering the elevator, the door closing.

* * *

Anna walked through the field outside Cydonia, approching a grymm, unsheathed her katana and beheaded the infected, proceeding to stab downwards and pierced it's skull, and sheathed her katana. She paused and turned to the sound of metal connecting, and her curiosity overcame her and approached the noise. Anna walked through the forest and sat down on a collapsed tree, watching David and Vanessa training with their weapons.

Vanessa threw two of her daggers at David, who swung his daggers, knocking them out of the way and lunged at her. She flipped over him and threw another pair of daggers, which David caught and threw back at her. She caught them, but David took the opportunity to flip and kick her in the forehead and onto the floor of the empty field they were training in. Vanessa groaned as she rubbed her forehead, David lightly laughing as he approached her, offering her a hand. She smiled a little, accepting the hand and getting back up to her feet.

"You're getting better, a week ago you couldn't even throw a dagger at me properly." David told Vanessa, who smiled at the compliment. "Right, now for part two of your training." Vanessa sighed.

"Aura and Semblance. I'm still not sure if I'm ready." Vanessa told him, unsure of herself.

"You just need to trust yourself, and have faith you can do it. I've known people who didn't, and couldn't." David told her, thinking back on Jaune. "Are you ready?" Vanessa nodded, and took a deep breath closing her eyes. Slowly, a low, brown aura appeared around her body, glowing slightly. "Focus. Think about why you want to be a huntress, why you want to protect people, why you are here." David told her, Vanessa taking another breath, she glowed slightly brighter. "Good, keep that up, concentrate on your thoughts harder, block out al distractions." Vanessa smiled a little and glowed brighter, aura at full strength. She opened her eyes and grinned.

"I did it!" Vanessa cheered.

"Good work, 13." David told her with a smirk. "Now, you and I are unique as we have the same semblance, telekinesis, as well as the others I have, but that doesn't matter. A very difficult semblance to master, but if done properly, can turn the tide of a war. Or, catch people watching." David held out his arm, Anna floating off the tree and flew towards the two of them, David dropping her just next to them. "Like so. Start by bending branches on trees, I'll be back in a moment. Anna." David gestured Anna to follow as Vanessa approached a tree, holding our her arms. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was on patrol, I heard the two of you fighting from outside the walls. I was just watching the two of you fight, see how you're doing as a teacher." Anna explained. "You didn't wake me up this morning."

"Didn't want to interrupt you, it's hard to get proper sleep when the undead are walking around outside the walls." David told Anna. "Have you...seen Indiana lately?"

"He still just goes to _Adele's_ when it opens and stays until it closes, and sleeps until he can go back. It's really not good for him." Anna said with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I'll talk to him tonight. So, you've seen Vanessa training, how do you think she's doing?" He asked her. Anna turned to Vanessa, who was currently wrapping the trees branches around the trunk. She unsheathed her katana and threw it at Vanessa. Vanessa gasped, turning to the katana and held out her arm, a light brown telekinetic shield redirecting the katana, which buried itself in the ground next to her.

"She's doing better." Anna told David, jogging over and pulling her katana out of the ground, sheathing it. Vanessa looked at her, surprised. "When you live a life of a huntress, you have to expect the unexpected. Keep that in mind." Anna advised, walking away. "I'll see you later." She told David as she walked back to Cydonia.

"I guess you're doing better than I thought. Reflex reaction time is pretty good, just saved your life." David told Vanessa, walking over to her.

"She could have killed me!" Vanessa exclaimed.

"Yeah, she could of. Probably would of if you weren't concentrating properly on your aura. There are a lot of people who will try to kill you, not everyone will fight like it's a sparing match. Remember that." David told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, we'd best get back to Cydonia."

"Actually, can we talk about something first?" Vanessa asked. David nodded, letting go of her. "I just-I don't know if I'm ready to be a leader yet."

"Well, unfortunately, it's not something you can train or prepare for. Some people, like Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc, are born leaders. Me, I was a leader of another team, me, Indiana, Vince and Dom. That team ended when Vince and Dom died." Vanessa listened intently as we both sat down onto the grass. "For a few months, I was a fifth man on Team RWBY. It worked out well, but I knew it wasn't what I was meant to do. Taking orders isn't my strongest suit. Then, after the breach, I created Team DARK, me, Anna, Indiana...and Samantha. That team fell apart two weeks ago when Samantha died. Now, I'm just a man trying to keep his friends alive, and help out other people like a hunter should do. The moral of this story is, 13, is that you are either born a leader, or you discover over time that you are born to be a leader. You can't train, prepare or practice this."

"I-I understand. But...what about those who look up to me." Vanessa asked.

"A strong team needs team work, a connection between them. Talk to your team mates, get to know them. The closer you are to them, the harder you will fight to protect them." David finished. He got up, giving Vanessa a hand. She accepted it and got up to her feet, and pulled David into a hug.

"Thank you." She thanked, letting go of him.

"Right. Now, let's go." The two of them walked back to Cydonia, Anna watching from a distance.

* * *

Alex pushed open the door to _Adele's_ , walking in with a smirk as the doors closed behind him. _Adele's_ was Cydonia's tavern, everyone knows that is the place to meet your friends and to have a drink. Inside the tavern were dozens of booths around the walls, each to accommodate between 4 and 6 people. In the top right corner of the tavern was the bar, with Adele standing behind with several people on bar stools sitting on the other side of the bar. Several circular tables were scattered throughout the main body of the tavern with four stools around them. The tavern was full of citizens and tourists having fun and drinking their sorrows away. Alex walked up to the bar. "How's it going, Adele?" He asked the tavern owner.

Adele had blonde hair in a ponytail, dark blue eyes, freckles and a kind smile. She had a pair of heart ear rings hanging from short chains and a necklace with a red dust crystal cut into a diamond shape. She wore a white shirt, black trousers, brown boots and a brown apron. She turned and walked over to Alex, drying a glass.

"I'm doing well, Alex. How you doing? It's been a while." Adele asked him.

"Oh, searching for people is a busy job, and more dangerous than owning a tavern." Alex joked, getting a smirk from her.

"Yeah, I see what you mean. But I missed you." Adele told Alex.

"I missed this tavern, I like the friendly atmosphere." Alex told her. "Oh, has Miranda come to see you yet?"

"Yep, she pre-paid for your round later, unless you want to cash it in now. I'm on break soon~" Adele offered.

"Tempting, but I'm afraid I'll have to pass. I'm actually here for information." Alex told her, causing her to frown a little.

"Oh...Okay. What are you looking for?" She asked him.

"Dirt on King Taub, anything that'll kick him off his throne." Alex informed her. The glanced side to side and leant down a little, Alex following.

"There isn't much about King Tau himself, but something odd in Cydonia. People around here talk a lot about Jim's barn. They've never seen anyone enter it, nobody leaves. I think King Taub is hiding something in that barn." Adele told Alex.

"Interesting. I'll have a look into it." Alex assured her. He got up to leave, but she grabbed him by his collar.

"No, no, no, no. No, you don't just get to leave like that. You owe me." Adele told him with a smirk. Alex sighed with a smile.

"What do you want?" Alex asked her.

"A promise. When King Taub is dethroned, and his stupid laws are abolished, I want you to date me." Adele demanded. Alex laughed at this.

"Oh, Adele, anything in the world you could ask for, and _that_." Alex smirked. "I'll think about it."

"Good enough for me." Adele told him with a smile, handing him a can of 'People like Grapes' soda. "On the house."

"Thanks, Adele. See you around." Alex told her with a wink, exiting the tavern.

* * *

David and Vanessa entered her house, Vanessa removing her leather jacket and hanging it up. David glanced around the house. "This seems...similar to my house."

"I wouldn't be surprised, the houses are built with identical layouts. It's so King Taub can find his way no matter what house he goes too." Vanessa explained, David shaking his head in annoyance. "Can I get you a drink? Coffee or something?"

"Coffee will be great, thanks." David told her, Vanessa smiled and entering the kitchen. David looked over at the kitchen, walked into the sitting room and sat down on one of the sofa's, patiently waiting for Vanessa. She entered the room with two coffee's, handing one to David. "So, why did you ask me here?"

"I wanted to ask...why me? Why pick me as the leader of the team, and why me at all?" Vanessa asked him. David took a sip of the coffee, setting it down on the table.

"When Miranda asked me to pick the four hunters for the team, I used one variable: why you became a huntsman. Xander became one because he had nothing to lose, and why waste his life on uselessness when he can protect people. Amber and Umber became huntresses because they share a strong, sisterly bond, and they don't want people to lose other people, to lose a bond between friends, family, lovers, siblings. Why did _you_ become a huntress?" David asked her.

"My parents left me and Chastity when she was a baby, I was barely a teenager. I fended for myself and made a life for the two of us, I have Linda to thank for that. But every night, I would climb onto the roof of this house, and look at Elysium Academy. The place was mostly abandoned, but Miranda remained because she was a strong huntress who never abandoned her job to protect Cydonia. I went and looked at Elysium Academy every night because I knew that is what I wanted to do: become a huntress, and protect my home, my friends, and my little sister." Vanessa told David, wiping away a tear. David looked at her intently.

"13...where is Chastity?" David asked slowly.

"She's in her room, right?" Vanessa asked him. "I mean, where else would she be?"

"The bowl of cereal, that you made for her, it's still in the kitchen. Chastity hasn't left her room." David told her, and she trembled a little. They both shot up, running up the stairs to her room. Vanessa attempted to open the door, but it was still locked.

"Chastity! Chastity, open the door!" Vanessa yelled desperately.

"Get back!" David ordered her, summoning a dust pistol and shot the lock, kicking the door open. A grymm lunged at David, who munched at him while he held it back. Vanessa grabbed a dagger from her belt and stabbed the grymm through the back of the head, David throwing the body to the ground.

"Chastity!" Vanessa yelled, entering the room, opening the closet, but it was empty. David dissipated his dust pistol and leant down, forcing the grymm's mouth open. He reached behind it's teeth and pulled out a chunk of human flesh.

"Oh no." David muttered, getting to his feet. Vanessa ran over, looking at what he held, covering her mouth as tears came to her eyes.

"Is-is that?" Vanessa stuttered. David turned, grabbing her shoulders with his hands.

"13, listen to me. It is Chastity's flesh, but there isn't a body, so she likely made it out. It can't be more than 12 hours old, so she's still alive if the infection is still spreading. Stay here, you're in no state to go out and look for her. I _promise_ I will find her." David assured.

"Please...find my baby sister..." Vanessa begged, breaking down into tears.

"I will." David ran down the stairs, exiting the house. Vanessa fell to the floor, sniffling as more tears escaped from her eyes.

* * *

Anna walked into the prison, looking a the cell with Noir and Xerxes, Noir now wearing clothes. "Anna, can _ve_ help you?" Xerxes asked.

"I was just letting you know that you won't be coming out tonight, David and Alex appear to be occupied, sorry." Anna told them.

"What!? But, it's out time!" Hecate yelled in mock sadness from the other cell, sitting on her bed with her arms wrapped around Sky's waist.

"Hey, I can't help it if David's too busy training Vanessa, and Alex is...doing Alex things." Anna complained.

"I've noticed David seems to be spending more time with Vanessa than you. Relationship troubles?" Sky asked Anna.

"No, he's just busy. We all have our jobs to do." Anna defended him.

"Look, if he truly loved you, he wouldn't let go of you. Like so." Hecate squeezed Sky a little tighter, getting a giggle from the black haired girl.

"I can see what will happen." Noir spoke up, walking up the cell door. "I can see your future with David." She held out a hand for Anna.

"Why should I trust you?" Anna asked the petite girl.

"Because you're unsure of yourself, and I can be sure." Noir assured. Anna hesitantly took Noir's hand, and her mind flashed purple briefly, immediately pulling away. Noir backed away into the corner of the room.

"What did you just to do me?" Anna demanded.

"So much...so much pain, and hate, and...love. You really do love David." Noir told Anna.

"He saved my life. He's my hero." Anna said, blushing a little.

"You're story isn't over. Not even close. Your future is filled with love, happiness, a bright future. But, there is hate, sadness and a dark future ahead too. Whether you let any of that happen, it's out of your control. Just, make sure David feels the same way you do." Noir advised her. Anna nodded and exited the prison, locking the door behind her.

"Anna!" David yelled, running up to her. "Have you seen Alex?"

"Alex? I saw him at the tavern earlier, why?" Anna asked.

"Vanessa's sisters missing, she might be outside the walls. I need to go." David said, running off again.

"I'll come with you!" Anna yelled, running after him.

"No, it's too dangerous out there. Search everywhere inside the walls, she could be unconscious somewhere. Go!" David ordered her, running off to find Alex, Anna running off in a different direction. He ran to the tavern, Alex spotting him and running towards him.

"David! I need to talk to you, it's important." Alex told him.

"Save it, something more important. Come on!" David ran towards the gate, Alex giving a brief curious look before following him.

* * *

Indiana downed the rest of his beer, slamming down as he groaned, rubbing his head.

"You alright there, man?" A man asked Indiana, chuckling as he downed his own drink. "I'm Xander Silver, you?"

"Robert H. Indiana." He introduced himself. Xander was 17 years old, 5' 8" tall human with silver hair and silver eyes. He wore an open grey short sleeve button down shirt with black cargo pants and black trainers. "Aren't you a bit young to be drinking?"

"Aren't you?" Xander challenged.

"Hmm. What's your reason?" Indiana asked Xander, gesturing Adele for another beer.

"Parents abandoned me when I was a little over a baby. Alcohol dulls the pain of abandonment, and it tastes good." Xander explained. "You?"

"I lost a girl. A friend who I tried to protect." Indiana told him, taking a sip of his beer.

"Samantha. I heard about that, sorry." Xander told him.

"It's hit me hard, as much as I hate to admit it. My body, mind and soul all just seem...dead. Gone, missing, stolen in that black hole. Black. Fuck, I might as well be a Grimm." Indiana rubbed his eyes with a heavy sigh. "Sorry about your parents."

"Don't be, they're a bunch of assholes." Xander muttered angrily, downing another shot. "Hey, isn't your team mate training that new team?"

"Yeah, why?" Indiana asked Xander.

"I'm on that team, along with Vanessa and the Carmines. Team HAUS, the rise of Elysium's hunters. No hunters left besides Scott and Bethany." Xander informed Indiana.

"Indiana!" Anna yelled, bursting open the doors. "Have you seen Chastity?"

"Wait, who?" Indiana asked her.

"Vanessa's sister, has she been here?" Anna asked him.

"Wait, Vanessa?" Indiana asked. Anna loudly groaned in frustration.

"Damn it, Indiana, a seven year old girl! Has she been here!?" Anna yelled at him.

"No, no. No kinds have come in here al day." Indiana informed her. She cursed silently and ran out of the tavern.

* * *

"Chastity! Chastity!" David yelled while jogging through the forest, a small group of grymm behind him. David stopped, summoned a dust pistol and shot each of the grymm in the head, dropping them and dissipating his pistol. He continued running through the forest, yelling for Chastity. Alex sprinted after David, moving around the grymm's bodies.

"David!" Alex yelled, catching up to David. "Just stop for one second!"

"What!?" David yelled, turning to Alex.

"David, we've been searching for hours, you're exhausted, you're about to collapse. David, it's getting dark." Alex reasoned.

"I can see in the dark. I'm not going to let a little girl suffer out here in the forest, a girl who's _bitten_. She'll die if I don't find her." David told Alex.

"I know that, but she might be in Cydonia, we don't know if they found her. Listen, I know Vanessa matters a lot to you, but you're going to die if you stay out here anymore. Then, I'm gonna die trying to get you home. Now, let's get home before we both get _fucking devoured_ by _undead monsters_!" Alex yelled, David looking at him, shocked.

"I-I didn't know you could even get that mad." David said, shocked.

"Trust me, I don't like doing that, but I'm trying to keep us both alive. I'm sorry we didn't find Chastity, but Vanessa will understand why we had to come back. I swear, as soon as the sun comes up, I'll go out and find her." Alex promised. David hesitated, but accepted.

"OK, let's go." David and Alex began jogging back to Cydonia, but David stopped.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"Shh!" David silenced him, unsheathing one of his daggers and walking towards a group of bushes, Alex following behind him. David pushed the bushes aside and froze. In a large clearing was a herd of hundreds of grymm, all stumbling towards David and Alex after David fired his dust pistol. Immediately after, David shot backwards, collapsing to the floor and quickly got back to his feet.

"What is it!?" Alex exclaimed.

"Grymm! A whole damn lot of them! _Run_!" David grabbed Alex, dragging him briefly as they both sprinted from the herd. They stopped when the herd started surrounding them, cutting them off. They stood back to back, David raising his dagger while Alex unsheathed his knifes.

"Shit."

David grabbed Alex's arm and held on tightly. "This might hurt a little." David warned, and they both disappeared in a cloud of yellow smoke right as the grymm would have reached them.

* * *

John stood on the platform at the corner of the wall, next to the gate, keeping watch. He looked out at the darkness, narrowing his eyes a little. "The hell?" John raised his assault rifle and looked down the scope at a cloud of yellow smoke, David and Alex emerging from it. John looked further back, the herd of grymm in plain sight, approaching Cydonia. He slowly lowered his assault rifle. "Oh god." David and Alex sprinted towards away from the grymm and towards the gate. "Someone get the gate!" John yelled, firing his assault rifle at any grymm getting too close.

Anna ran over to the gate, grabbing it and pulling, wincing in pain in her left arm. Vanessa ran over, both of the women opening the gate as David and Alex ran inside, the four of them closing the gate as the grymm arrived, pushing up against the gate and the wall. They backed away from the gate as citizens from the area approached them, all with terrified expressions. John got down from his platform, bolting the lock into pace. Indiana approached the gate, bending the metal bolt, keeping it locked so it couldn't open.

"What's going on here? What is with all the commotion?" Lexus demanded, approaching the gate, freezing at the sight of the grymm pushed up against the gate, trying to get into Cydonia. He turned and glared at David. " _You_. Come with me."

* * *

 _No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue,_  
 _I could not foresee this thing happening to you.  
If I look hard enough into the setting sun,  
My love will laugh with me before the morning comes._

* * *

 **So, the grymm have reached Cydonia, trapping the citizens for the time being. What will be the negative repercussions of this, will David be punished, and where is Chastity?**

 **And we have a lot of new characters, more than I ever thought I would. When I started the story in Volume 1, I made one OC, and now, I have dozens of OC's. I know, not what most people want, but I appreciate everyone who reads this story and cares about my characters. Who's your favourite? There is a lot to pick from.**

 **The plot thickens, new characters are introduced and the future of Anna Kyle has been seen by Noir Void, both a dark future, and a bright one. But, how imminent are those events? Is she doomed to die by her grymm infection, or will she live with a possible love rival for David. How will it all play out?**

 **Find out soon...**

 **As always, remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter seven.**


	7. Day

_**Song from Previous Chapter:**_

 _ **"Paint it Black"**_

 _ **Artist - The Rolling Stones**_

* * *

 _This will be the day we've waited for.  
This will be the day we open up the door.  
I don't want to hear about your absolution;  
Hope you're ready for a revolution._

* * *

Vanessa slipped on her leather jacket and exited her house, walking along the path and across the farm until she approached the barn, the farmer, Jim, feeding some horses. He had long grey hair with a thick grey beard and grey eyes. He wore a grey shirt and over-shirt with blue denim overalls and brown boots. Jim turned to Vanessa as she approached. "Ah, Miss Hazel, what can I do ya' for?"

"Jim, I need to go into the barn and have a look around." Vanessa informed him, walking towards it, but he stood in her way.

"I'm sorry, nobody can enter the barn, our lords orders." Jim told Vanessa.

"Jim, get out of the way." Vanessa told him with a frustrated sigh, trying to move past him, but he was persistent.

"I cannot let you enter the barn. I do not want to hurt you." Jim warned her.

"Look around! Everyone wants King Taub off his throne, you and me both, whatever is in that barn can bring him down. Now move." She ordered him, and he sighed.

"I'm sorry, Vanessa." Jim grabbed his pitchfork and swung at her. She pushed it aside with her telekinesis, punched Jim in the face and kicked him in the chest, knocking him out.

"Sorry, Jim." Vanessa said sarcastically, walking over his body and pulling at the door, but was bolted, chained and padlocked shut, with a plank of wood to keep it shut. She pulled on the lock, but it wouldn't move. She moved back and looked at the left side of the barn, a window sized hole in the wall. Vanessa moved back and vaulted up the wall, reaching up and grabbing onto the bottom of the hole.

She pulled herself up and climbed into the barn, landing on a raised platform. The inside of the barn was pitch black, but the sounds certainly made her curious. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a flash light and turned it on, looking down at the floor. Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth with her other hand.

"Oh no."

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER SEVEN**

* * *

 **DAY 21**

* * *

David followed Lexus and two knights into the throne room, walking along to the opposite side of the room, Lexus sat down on his throne and looked down at David with a glare.

"Explain to me why a herd of infected are outside my community. _Now_." Lexus demanded.

"...Me and Alex were looking for Vanessa's younger sister, she went missing earlier after we found a grymm inside her bedroom. Speaking of which, why was one there?" David asked him.

"Excuse me?" Lexus asked.

"Well, a person dying inside a child's room would never happen, especially in a community with a couple of hundred citizens, so someone planted a grymm inside a child's room. Someone with influence." David narrowed his eyes.

"Preposterous! There is no proof!" Lexus yelled at David.

"Proof? I know you don't like me, or my friends, so you wouldn't rick hurting me, so you hurt someone _close_ to me." David accused, Lexus gritting his teeth in anger. "You son of a bitch."

"ENOUGH! For your crimes against Cydonia, you and your team mates are banished from Cydonia. You will all be out of my community by first light." Lexus commanded. The two knights glanced at each other worryingly.

"But...the grymm..." David stuttered, shocked.

"If we're lucky, you'll draw them away." Lexus got up from his throne and approached David. "And I hope that they get you, and tear you all apart while you're still alive." David looked at Lexus lacking any emotion while Lexus looked at David with a smug grin.

David punched Lexus right in the nose, knocking him back while the knights grabbed David by his arms. David shoved them off and walked over to Lexus, who lay on the ground, holding his bleeding nose.

"You're going to regret crossing me, you're going down Lexus, and I'm gonna make sure you pay." David threatened, storming out of the room. The knights walked over to Lexus, helping him to his feet.

"Are you okay, my lord?" Hugh asked.

"I will once David is gone."

* * *

"You _cannot_ be serious!?" Alex exclaimed. "He's banishing you when there is an army of grymm outside? That's suicide!" David sighed, rubbing his eyes as he sat in his sitting room in the house next to Anna, with Alex, Indiana and Vanessa apposite them.

"It's what he said, trust me, he wants me out. You two shouldn't be coming with me." David said looking at Anna and Indiana.

"We're a team. We wouldn't let you stay outside in the wilderness on your own, even if you ordered me to stay." Anna assured him with a small smile.

"What an asshole, basically giving us the death sentence." Indiana muttered.

"King Taub _is_ an asshole. Nobody wants him as the king, even Linda doesn't, but what can we do?" Vanessa asked.

"Adele told me about a possible lead. I was going to tell you, David, but we got preoccupied. She told me that people think something is going on at Jim's Barn, nothing goes in and nothing comes out. She believes that Lexus has something to do with it." Alex informed them.

"If there is something, we can expose him and kick him off his throne." Indiana realised.

"Okay." David spoke up, standing to his feet. "We aren't going to figure this out by sunrise. Me, Anna and Indiana will leave Cydonia and find somewhere safe. You and Vanessa will search the barn, and if something is there, use it against Lexus. If there isn't, find something you can use. I'm counting on both of you, but we're doing this for Cydonia."

"For Cydonia." They agreed.

"It's going to be sunrise in a few hours, we should get rest. Hopefully we'll be back in these beds in a matter of days." David said, the rest of them getting up, Indiana and Anna walking upstairs, after Anna gave David a quick kiss, and Alex and Vanessa went to the door. "Vanessa, a moment." Vanessa stopped and re-entered the sitting room, taking a seat next to David. "I...want to tell you I'm sorry I couldn't find your sister." Vanessa sighed.

"I'd be lying if I said it was alright, because it's not, I'm honestly terrified. But you and Alex risked your lives to find her, and almost died in the process. I have hope that she is alright, but, I want to thank you for looking for her." Vanessa told him, leaning over and giving him a kiss on the cheek, blushing a little. "Thank you, for everything."

"N-No problem." David answered, stuttering a little. "It's, umm, late. You should get home."

"Okay. I'll see you around." Vanessa told him with a small smile, exiting the house. David sighed, leaning back on the sofa. Getting to his feet, he walked upstairs and entered his bedroom, collapsing onto his bed and instantly fell asleep.

* * *

 **DAY 22**

* * *

John pulled open the chain link of the fence, dozens of grymm growling and roaring at the gate. He recoiled a little, raising his assault rifle.

"Don't fire that weapon." Alex warned his brother.

"Sorry, I just, I'm not used to these things yet." John told him.

"Trust me, you never get used to them." Alex walked up to the gate, looking at the decayed, grey face with black veins spread across it's body with tattered clothes.

"You think that they can survive out there?" John asked.

"God, I hope so." David spoke up, John and Alex turning to see David, Anna and Indiana approaching the gate, each with a set of supplies. "As soon as we're gone, go to the barn, find _something_."

"I will. So will Vanessa." Alex assured, David nodded back at him.

"How are you going to get out? We can't open the gate." John reminded them.

"We're not going through the gate." Anna told John, and started climbing the wall. When she reached the top, she leapt several dozen feet away and sprinted into the forest before the grymm noticed her.

"Huh." John noted, looking at the 15 foot high wall. Indiana proceeded to climb the wall and leap off, slightly less gracefully, and ran into the forest.

"I'll see you soon, man." Alex told David, patting him on the shoulder. David leapt onto and climbed up the wall, leapt off and ran into the forest after his team mates. Alex sighed and walked away from the gate as John closed the chain link on the gate, Alex was stopped when Linda approached him.

"Alex, may I have a moment?" Linda asked him.

"Of course, my lady. How may I be of service?" Alex asked Linda.

"I want you to track David and his friends, and try and lead them to Skyfall." Linda requested.

"It's not necessary. I was told by a reliable source that there is something in the barn, it might be able to take down King Taub." Alex informed her.

"Alex, I'm sorry to tell you this, but there is nothing there. If there was something in the barn, I would known about it." Linda told Alex. "Their only hope for survival is to go to Skyfall. Please, ensure they make it." Alex bowed lightly.

"Yes, my lady." Alex complied, leaving for his house to get supplies. He returned a few minutes later and climbed the wall, leaping down to the other side and ran into the forest.

* * *

Vanessa slipped on her leather jacket and exited her house, walking along the path and across the farm until she approached the barn, the farmer, Jim, feeding some horses. He had long grey hair with a thick grey beard and grey eyes. He wore a grey shirt and over-shirt with blue denim overalls and brown boots. Jim turned to Vanessa as she approached. "Ah, Miss Hazel, what can I do ya' for?"

"Jim, I need to go into the barn and have a look around." Vanessa informed him, walking towards it, but he stood in her way.

"I'm sorry, nobody can enter the barn, our lords orders." Jim told Vanessa.

"Jim, get out of the way." Vanessa told him with a frustrated sigh, trying to move past him, but he was persistent.

"I cannot let you enter the barn. I do not want to hurt you." Jim warned her.

"Look around! Everyone wants King Taub off his throne, you and me both, whatever is in that barn can bring him down. Now move." She ordered him, and he sighed.

"I'm sorry, Vanessa." Jim grabbed his pitchfork and swung at her. She pushed it aside with her telekinesis, punched Jim in the face and kicked him in the chest, knocking him out.

"Sorry, Jim." Vanessa said sarcastically, walking over his body and pulling at the door, but was bolted, chained and padlocked shut, with a plank of wood to keep it shut. She pulled on the lock, but it wouldn't move. She moved back and looked at the left side of the barn, a window sized hole in the wall. Vanessa moved back and vaulted up the wall, reaching up and grabbing onto the bottom of the hole.

She pulled herself up and climbed into the barn, landing on a raised platform. The inside of the barn was pitch black, but the sounds certainly made her curious. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a flash light and turned it on, looking down at the floor. Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth with her other hand.

"Oh no."

On the floor of the barn were dozens of grymm mindlessly walking around the floor, which turned and growled at Vanessa when she turned the flash light on. She aimed the flash light at each of them, counting them silently as the got closer and reached for her. When she finished counting, she realised that this is what will bring down Lexus.

"I've got to tell Alex." She told herself, reaching up and exiting the barn through the window.

* * *

David, Anna and Indiana walked further away from Cydonia and through the dense forest, which due to the build up around Cydonia, was quite devoid of grymm. Any grymm that had been unfortunate enough to run into them was swiftly decapitated by Anna. While Indiana led the way, David stayed back with Anna.

"How you doing?" He asked her.

"All things considered, we're lucky to be alive. Although, I am going to miss sleeping in a warm bed at night." Anna joked lightly. He smirked too.

"And...what about your arm?" David asked, and her facial expression dulled.

"It hurts, it always does. Not as bad as when I passed out, but, David, it always hurts." Anna told him, looking at her greying skin, black veins spreading from her wound. David took a hold of her hand.

"Hey, we almost failed once and a miracle came along. It'll happen again, law of averages, you know?" David asked her, and she smiled a little, leaning on his shoulder a little as they continued walking. Indiana glanced back with a sigh and continued walking. Out of nowhere, a gust of wind blew past them, blowing the trees and bushes.

Ahead of them, a black portal started appearing, Indiana's eyes widened in fear.

"Grab onto something, now!" Indiana yelled, running over and wrapping his metal arm around a tree trunk. David and Anna ran over to a pair of trees, grabbing onto them as the portal widened and pulled them towards it, the trees and bushes forcefully pulled towards the black portal. "Hold on!"

David pulled on the trunk of the tree, pulling himself around to the other side so his back was to it, leaning against it as he gasped for breath. Anna attempted to pull herself up, but failed and slipped, forcing herself to wrap her left arm around the trunk. She screamed in pain and let go of the trunk, falling towards the portal.

"No!" David yelled, reaching out to her. He aimed his arm at the portal and telekinetically shut it before Anna reached it, she fell onto the ground, screaming and crying in pain as she clutched her infected arm. Indiana fell to the ground, sighing deeply in relief, all his friends alive. David got up and ran over to Anna, holding onto her to try and ease her pain. Indiana looked at where the portal was, and was beyond shocked at what he saw.

A woman, looking to be about 17, lay on the ground, unconscious. She had ginger hair and cyan eyes, she wore a pink vest with a white sleeveless leather jacket with a pink skirt, white leggings, white trainers and orange fingerless gloves, the clothing looked to be too small for her age. Next to her lay a sniper rifle, and on her arms were a pair of white gauntlets.

It was Samantha.

"Holy fuck." Indiana muttered to himself, quickly getting to his feet and running over to her, checking for a pulse. "David, get over here!" Reluctantly, David left a crying Anna and ran over to Indiana, and was shocked to see Samantha in his arms as Indiana got to his feet. "She's alive, but weak. We need to go back to Cydonia."

"Anna's in serious pain, we do need to go." David agreed.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Alex asked, shocking David, Anna and Indiana as he sat on a tree stump.

"Fuck, man, stop doing that!" David yelled.

"Whoa, calm down, calm down. Come on, we need to get back to Cydonia." Alex told them, David and Anna running over to Anna and helping her to her feet while Indiana picked up Samantha bridal-style, the five of them heading back to Cydonia as fast as they could.

* * *

Vanessa ran over to the gate, sweating heavily after running around Cydonia up and down. "John!"

John turned from his watch tower and looked down at Vanessa. "What?"

"Have you seen Alex?!" She yelled.

"Yeah, Linda asked him to follow David and his friends, try and lead them to Skyfall. Why?" John asked her. Vanessa sighed angrily, stomping her foot on the ground.

"WHAT!?" Vanessa exclaimed. "What about exposing King Taub? I can't do that on my own!"

"Wait, you're doing what?" John asked, confused.

"We're trying to bring down Taub, but with Alex gone, how am I supposed to-"

"OPEN THE GATE!" Alex yelled, interrupting Vanessa.

"W-How? There's grymm all over it." John stuttered, not knowing what to do. Vanessa opened the chain link fence on the gate, dozens of grymm growling and reaching for her. Vanessa took a deep sigh and raised her arms, telekinetically pushing the grymm apart so the gate was clear. Vanessa turned to John.

"John, open the gate!" Vanessa yelled at him, holding her arms out. John leapt down from his watch tower and pulled open the gate, Indiana running in first with Samantha in his arms, followed by David and Alex with Anna, who was still in severe pain. John quickly closed the gate as Vanessa lowered her arms, breathing heavily. John closed the chain link fence as the grymm pressed back up against the gate.

* * *

"Absolutely incredible." Doc was astounded as he looked at Samantha, who was unconscious on a hospital bed wearing a hospital gown. "You say she's 13?"

"She _is_ 13\. I don't know why she looks like this. It's like, she's aged years in a matter of weeks." Indiana told him, dumbstruck.

"I just-I can't explain it. Physically, she's perfectly healthy. Not dehydrated, malnourished or, well, anything. She's just older." Doc said with a small laugh. "If all is well, she should wake up on her own, hopefully soon. All we can do is wait."

"Okay, thank you, Doctor." Indiana thanked him. Doc got up and entered the next room, where Anna lay on the bed, David sitting next to her. Across from them, Vanessa sat on one of the beds, with Alex next to her.

"How bad is it, Doc?" David asked him.

"Anna has fallen unconscious because of such severe pain. She will wake up soon, I drained as much of the infection as I could, but the severity of the pain could be damaging to her mentally." Doc informed David.

"Thank you." David thanked, looking back at Anna as he held her hand, not noticing Doc leaving the room.

"She'll make it." Vanessa assured him.

"She will." Alex agreed.

"Thank you, both of you, but when Lexus finds out we're here, I don't doubt he'll kill us." David told them regrettably. Vanessa gasped in realisation.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" She exclaimed. "The barn, I went and searched it, it's filled with grymm, dozens of them. King Taub has likely been keeping them in there for some reason."

"What?" Alex asked quietly, not believing it.

"That fucking idiot." David held his hand against his face. He groaned as he rubbed his eyes. "Alex...Vanessa...gather the citizens of Cydonia at the barn in six hours, including the king. I need to make a statement."

"Wait, what?" Alex asked, confused.

"Just...do it." David pleaded, the two glancing at each other, but leaving the hospital. He looked down at a hand squeeze, Anna slowly waking up. "Anna, are you okay?"

"...I don't know." Anna admitted, David pulling her up and hugging her while she hugged back, rubbing her head comfortably into his chest. "David, I-I'm not sure if what I saw was...real...but, I saw...Samantha..."

"It was real. She is back." David told her, and she smiled on his chest. "But, she's different."

"How?" Anna asked, looking up at him.

"She's aged. About four years." David told Anna, and she looked at him, surprised.

"But, that's impossible. She's been missing for a few weeks at most." Anna said to herself out loud.

"Come and see for yourself." David offered, getting up and helping her to her feet as the two entered another room, Indiana sitting next to Samantha, who was still unconscious. Anna approached Samantha, looking curiously at the aged friend she thought she lost.

"So, this is how our team comes back together." Anna noted. "The dark reunited."

"Anna, Indiana, Vanessa told me she checked the barn. It's full of grymm." David told them, both of them shocked. "I don't know why they are there, but I think Lexus doesn't fully understand what they are. The people need to know that Lexus is insane keeping them here, and that he can't keep the people safe. I need to inform the people. You in, Anna?"

"Without a doubt." Anna told him with a small smile.

"Indiana?" David asked.

"No, I need to stay here in case Samantha wakes up. I imagine she'll be confused." Indiana told them, and they agreed.

"Let's move out. Time for a revolution." David told them, and he and Anna left the hospital. Indiana looked down at Samantha, taking her hand.

* * *

Alex burst into the king's throne room, walking across the room and reached the throne, where Lexus and Linda looked at him curiously.

"You're back already? Skyfall should take several days to get to." Linda told Alex, confused.

"Change of plans, they had to come back, their missing team mate turned up." Alex informed them.

"They WHAT!? Get them out of my community this instant!" Lexus ordered.

"We know about the barn, King Taub." Alex said, and Lexus smirked a little.

"Is that so?" He asked.

"Lexus, what is he talking about? What abut the barn?" Linda asked Lexus.

"He's delusional. There is nothing there." Lexus lied.

"Oh yeah? Well, David is going to make a statement in a few hours to kick you off that throne. Prove him wrong." Alex dared.

"My pleasure."

* * *

Indiana sat next to Samantha, still processing what exactly happened to her, why she is like this. He immediately looked down at her when he heard her groan a little, her eyes slowly opening.

"Samantha?" He asked cautiously, she turned her head towards him, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Indiana?" She asked, confused.

"Yes! It's me! You're really here-" He was stopped when Samantha shot up and captured his lips with her own, wrapping her arms around his neck to prevent any possibility of his pulling away. After the initial shock, he slowly returned the kiss until they had to let go, their bodies demanding oxygen. "That was...interesting. What happened to you?"

"Indiana, I've been trapped for four years. When I was pulled into the black portal, I was just...nowhere...but everywhere at the same time. I never felt hungry, or thirsty, or tired, or bored. I just...let time pass. I had four years to grow, and think about...things...and I realised something about a year ago. I realised how important you are to me, more than David and Anna, you are so important to me. The thought of seeing you again is what kept e going. Then, the portal reopened, and I escaped. Indiana...I've missed you...so much." Samantha admitted, tears coming to her eyes.

"Samantha, I'm broken, I always have been since I got this metal arm. When I lost you, I just...lost it. I didn't know what to do with myself, it was my job to protect you. I just turned to alcohol, trying to remember my past life to replace my current one, because I couldn't bare to think about the loss of you. When I saw the portal again, I had to make sure that David and Anna didn't fall in, and instead you came out. Samantha, I missed you." Indiana told her, and he couldn't help herself, lunging forward and kissing him again, which he returned in full. She grinned as she pulled him up onto the bed so he was on top of her, deepening the kiss. Samantha stopped the kiss and looked him in the eye.

"I love you, Indiana." She told him with a huge grin.

"I love you, Samantha." He returned.

"Kiley." She corrected. "Samantha is my mothers name. Only the most important people to me know my real name." She reached down and lifted off her hospital gown, pressing her bare body against him as they kissed again.

* * *

"You must all be wondering why I called you here." David yelled from in front of the barn door, the citizens of Cydonia standing further back, listening to him. "Outside these walls are infected humans, we call them grymm, and their only purpose in life is to kill us, turn us into them. Now, these walls are a miracle, it keeps us all safe, it keeps our families safe, our friends safe." David turned and pointed at the barn door. "But behind these doors are the creatures we've tried so hard to keep outside our home, these creatures are within walking distance of our home, they can kill us in our sleep. He thinks that thin wooden doors will keep dozens of monsters at bay? They won't."

"These people in the barn are Cydonians." Lexus spoke up. "Sick people who need help, who need to be cured. If you kill them, you're killing my people."

"You know, King Taub, I don't think we've met yet." Indiana spoke up, walking next to Kiley while dragging a grymm's body. "I'm a man who thinks that you're full of bullshit." He threw the body onto the ground, which growled lightly as it stood to it's feet. "These things, they're _not_ sick, they're _not_ people. They're _dead_!"

"They are sick! You can't kill them!" Lexus yelled.

"Oh yeah?" Indiana raised his assault rifle and fired at the grymm. "That's a dozen rounds in the chest. Could you take that? Could someone who is alive take that? Why's it still coming!?" He raised it and fired more shots. "That's it's heart, it's lungs, why is it still coming!" He fired and hit it in the head, killing it. "Those things, are _dead_."

"He's right. The grymm in that barn are a threat, a threat that your King has been keeping a secret, even from his own wife. How can you trust this man when he lies to everyone he knows?" David asked them, who all glanced at each other. "Me, my team, we've been out there, we've fought the grymm, and the Grimm, and the White Fang. We can defend this place, keep this place safe, keep all of you safe. Once you've dispersed, we'll deal with these grymm in a calm and orderly-wait, what are you doing?" David turned to see Indiana walk up to the doors of the barn, and started banging on it. "Indiana, what are you doing!?"

"They need to see, David. See what these things are." Indiana slammed on the door again, and ripped the bolt off. He took out the plank keeping the doors together and smashed the door a couple more times, moving back and taking out his assault rifle. "Come on." The doors opened and the grymm started coming out, a couple at a time. Indiana fired at them, short controlled bursts to hit them in the head. Kiley ran over and raised her sniper rifle, shooting them too.

"Damn it." David muttered, summoning a dust pistol. He turned to the Cydonians. "Stay back!" He turned back to the barn and fired his pistol, Vanessa running forward and firing his revolver, Xander then joining in with his machine pistols. As more and more of the grymm flooded out, the people got more, and more afraid of what King Taub had done, and what David and the others were doing. About a minute later, they stopped firing, all of the grymm dead. David turned and glared at Indiana, who gave him a hard look, but knew what he did was right. Kiley lowered her rifle, looking over at David too, Vanessa and Xander doing the same.

"What's happened here today, this minute, this _second_ , is humanity showing that they aren't afraid of the grymm. We can fight them, kill them, keep them away. King Taub would rather you hide behind some wall and pretend the outside world doesn't exist, but it does. The outside world is hard, harsh, and hazardous. If this barn opened any other time before we arrived, you'd all be dead. And the thing is, you should be. You can't survive in this world, not on your own. I've never killed any of you, I don't even think I've ever killed a human, but..." David glanced at his friends and back at the Cydonians. "How many of you do I have to kill to save your lives?"

"David, grymm incoming!" Kiley warned, raising her rifle. David turned to the barn as a final grymm walked out, walking over the piles of dead grymm. It took him a little while to realise, but that grymm wasn't any ordinary grymm. Vanessa knew too, and tears came to her eyes. Her sister, Chastity, growled as she slowly walked towards them, intending to bite them, and eat them. Kiley aimed her rifle, but Indiana pushed it aside, telling her not too. Vanessa looked at her revolver, one bullet left, and aimed it at her sister. She shook a little, trying to aim right, but couldn't do it, breaking down into tears. Alex walked up behind her to comfort her, but was surprised when she hugged him, crying on his shoulder. David, knowing he had to, walked over to Vanessa and took the revolver. He walked up to Chastity, cocking the revolver, and aimed it, taking a moment to adjust the aim.

 _ **BANG!**_

The child grymm fell to the ground, David lowering the revolver as everyone remained silent, except Vanessa who was still crying.

King Taub's reign had ended.

Cydonia's story is just getting started.

* * *

 _Welcome to a world of new solutions._  
 _Welcome to a world of bloody evolution._  
 _In time, your heart will open minds_  
 _A story will be told, and victory is in a simple soul._

* * *

 **So, that is that. Team DARK is reunited, King Taub is down, and Vanessa's sister has been discovered. What could possibly happen next?**

 **You'll find out soon...**

 **Just a note, I have created a wikia based on this universe that you can use to find out about the characters, locations and most importantly, physical appearances.**

 **The website is:** **the-xiao-long-chronicles .wikia wiki/ Main_Page**

 **And remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter eight!**


	8. Daydream

**_Song from Previous Chapter:_**

 ** _"This Will Be the Day"_**

 ** _Artist - Jeff & Casey Lee Williams_**

* * *

 _Don't fake it baby, lay the real thing on me,  
The church of man, love, is such a holy place to be,  
Mak me baby, make me know you really care,  
Make me jump into the air..._

* * *

David walked down the steps into the prison, looking into the left cell to find Noir pressed up against the bars, eyes completely filled in purple, looking at him curiously. Xerxes lay on her bed behind her, glancing up at them.

"She's been _vaiting_ for you." Xerxes told him.

"Are you?" David asked Noir, who cocked her head to the side slightly.

"I haven't been waiting. I knew you would come." Noir told him.

"...You know, you're really creepy." David told the petite girl.

"She is creepy. That's why she's here!" Hecate exclaimed from the other cell.

"You can keep quiet. You're just a psycho." David told her.

"I'm not a psycho! The voices just tell me to do things!" Hecate pleaded, pressing herself up against the bars. "Ahhh, I'm kidding! Or am I?"

"I don't care. What do you mean?" David asked Noir.

"I can see the future, the past, your end, your beginning. I've seen Anna's. Let's see yours..." Noir held out her hand to him. He looked at it.

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER EIGHT**

* * *

 **DAY 22**

* * *

Everyone was silent. The citizens of Cydonia looked at the grymm, lying down at the door of the barn, dead. Nobody could believe that the things they had tried so hard to keep outside the walls had been inside the whole time. And the King of Cydonia had been hiding them. Vanessa stopped crying and stot up, knocking back Alex as she stormed over to David, snatching the revolver and cocked it, aiming it at Lexus.

"You fucking monster! That was my _sister_!" Vanessa yelled, tears streaming don her eyes as she held the revolver at his forehead, finger on the trigger.

"Don't be such a child, you don't have the guts-"

 _ **CLICK**_

 _ **CLICK**_

 _ **CLICK**_

The revolver clicked, out of ammo. Lexus laughed.

"Told you so."

 _ **THUMP**_

Lexus recoiled after Vanessa smashed the revolver into his face. He wiped the blood off his face from his broken nose. Vanessa threw the revolver onto the ground angrily.

"Asshole." She stormed off, leaving the citizens shocked. David glanced over at Vanessa, picked up her revolver and walked towards Lexus, who had an unimpressed look.

"King Taub, you're under arrest for endangering the citizens of Cydonia." David told him, and he just laughed.

"Arrest me?! I'm the _King_ , you have no authority here. Knights, kill him." Lexus ordered, Hugh, Wade, John and Bruce glanced at each other, not knowing what to do. "Are you deaf?! Kill him now-"

 ** _WHACK_**

Lexus fell to the ground, knocked out by John, who had slammed his rifle into the back of his head.

"Knights, take him to the prison." Linda ordered them, and they complied, dragging the king away. "Everybody, listen. Lexus has been removed from his position of King of Cydonia, I will take his place as the leader. I promise, this community will be different, new, better than ever. I promise all of you that. Now, I have some things to consider for the future of the community, so please return to your homes." She requested, and the citizens started leaving, only David, Anna, Indiana, Kiley, Alex, Miranda and Linda remaining at the barn.

"How could he do this? Doesn't he understand what these things are?" Miranda asked Linda.

"He's stubborn. He believes something, he'll stick to it." Linda said with a sigh, looking at the barn. Alex ran over to David.

"David, I got to-"

"I know. Go." David told him. Alex nodded and ran off. David sighed and turned to Indiana. "What was _that_!?" David yelled, pointing at the barn.

"That was us showing them hat the world is like. Not everyone can hide behind a wall." Indiana explained.

"I get that, but doing that, just scares them. We need to establish trust between us and them. If we do stunts like this, they'll be afraid of us." David tried to tell Indiana.

"...Okay. Next time, not too impulsive." Indiana understood.

"Great. At least the barn is clear." David nodded at him, and looked at Kiley. "Wow...Samantha...you look...different."

"It's Kiley." She corrected.

"Huh?" David asked, confused.

"Samantha was my mom's name. I used it for the time, I'm sorry I had to do that." Kiley apologized.

"Everybody Lies." David repeated his credo, Kiley nodding. "So, what have you done since you woke up?" Kiley glanced at Indiana, blushing madly. "Really?"

"Yeah, we're a thing now." Kiley confirmed, taking Indiana's hand.

"Well, I'm glad for you. I guess being trapped in some other place for four years changes you." David guessed. "I think we're all clear here, you two can head back to the house."

"See you there." Indiana told him and the two of them walked off. Anna walked past them and up to David.

"What now?" She asked.

"I'll talk with Linda and Miranda about what to do next. This community needs a leader." David told her.

"And you're going to be it." She assumed.

"No. I'm barely a leader of four, I can't be a leader of hundreds." David hugged her, which she reciprocated. "Go back to the house, rest, it's probably what's best for you."

"Okay." Anna said with a small sigh.

"Oh, and Samantha is called Kiley now. She used a different name." David told her as she walked away.

"Why did she do that?" Anna asked.

"Everybody Lies." David repeated his credo.

"You know, that's starting to get annoying." Anna told him with a smirk. "I'll see you at the house." She walked off. David walked over to Miranda and Linda.

"What's the plan?" He asked.

"My office. We discuss there." Miranda told him, and the three of them left.

* * *

Alex jogged into the main housing estate, through the rows of detached houses until he reached Vanessa's. When he got there, he stopped jogging and walked up to Vanessa, who was on the floor in the fetal position, quietly sniffling and crying. Alex looked at her house. Or, what remained of it. The entire house had been crushed, physically crushed under it's own weight. All that was left was rubble and pieces of wood that was used to keep the house together.

"Damn..." Alex looked at the remnants of the house, both amazed and terrified of what had done this.

"She's dead." Vanessa whispered, Alex barely hearing it. "My baby sister... Chastity... she's gone. I-I-I was meant to protect her. She's dead!" Vanessa broke into tears, Alex looking at her sadly, leaning down and holding onto her to comfort her. After several minutes of crying, Vanessa stopped and looked up at her house. "My home..."

"Hey." Alex caught her attention. "It wasn't your fault. This is...an emotional time. Come, on, you can stay with me."

"But...why?" She asked.

"'Cause I want to help, and that's all I can do to help." He told her. Alex got up, offering Vanessa a hand up, and both walked towards his house.

"Thank you." Vanessa thanked quietly.

"No problem." Alex told her with a small smile.

* * *

"The people of Cydonia need to know they are safe inside these walls." Linda told Miranda and David. "That's the most important thing. If they don't think that they're safe, the community will fail. Those walls will hold, and so will we."

"We will." Miranda agreed. David nodded.

"And we need rules, new, better rules to sustain order. I'm removing Lexus' law on sex and on who can come into the community. That's not for me to decide, it's a basic right for living. But, we'll need someone to make sure that order is sustained. We have a lot of people living here, and with new laws, people will try to disobey them." Linda told them.

"What we need is a symbol of the law: a constable." Miranda spoke up, and looked at David. "He should be it."

"Me?" David asked. "I'm not trying to make myself sound bad, but laws aren't something I follow well."

"Maybe. But the people need someone to look up to, someone who can protect them both from inside the walls, and outside. You can be the symbol of law and order, they trust you." Miranda explained, and David looked unsure.

"I'll have to think about it. But what about hunter training?" David pointed out.

"That was temporary. We do have two hunters who live in Cydonia who are on a mission. They should be back later today if all goes to plan." Linda told David. "I agree with Miranda. I want you to be our constable." David sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"...Give me till tomorrow. I'll make up my mind my then." David promised.

"Very well. David, me and Miranda will discuss further into this, you make sure that Lexus made it to his new living quarters." Linda ordered him.

"Yes, Ma'am." David obliged with a small nod, walking over to the elevator and exiting.

"I never get that kind of respect from anyone. Especially Alex." Miranda muttered annoyingly, earning a small chuckle from Linda.

* * *

Anna entered her house with a deep sigh, walking into the sitting room and lying down on one of the sofa's, relaxing. She would have likely fallen asleep, were she not woken up by Kiley sitting down on the opposite sofa with an 'ohff', Anna looking at her, who had a grin on her face.

"Uhh...hey..." Anna said to her, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, How you doing?" She asked with a grin.

"...Good." Anna told Kiley. "What's up?"

"So, I've noticed something between you and David. Or, lack-there-of something between you. How long have you been dating?" Kiley asked in a much more serious tone. Anna leant up to sit opposite Kiley.

"About a month. Give or take a few days. Why?" Anna asked.

"Look, I'm no expert, but I can tell when something is up. David has been distancing himself from you, and you realise it too." Kiley told Anna.

"He's just busy. You don't know what's gone on here." Anna defended him.

"Rubbish. _Nobody_ is that busy. When was the last time he gave you a kiss? Have you slept in the same bed? Has he told you 'I love you'?" Kiley interrogated.

"I-I don't know why he does this. Did I do something? I just...I don't know..." Anna sighed, leaning back, covering her eyes. Kiley walked over and sat next to her, pulling her into a soft hug.

"Hey, you didn't do a thing." Kiley assured. "What you need to do is confront him, get him to tell you why he's distancing himself, and fix it. Got it?"

"Yeah. Yes, I do." Anna told her with new found enthusiasm, getting up from her seat. "Don't wait up." She left the house, Kiley chuckling to herself.

* * *

Alex knocked on a bedroom door, waiting a second for a response.

"Come in." Vanessa yelled, Alex opening the door and entering her room. She lay on the bed with her knees tucked up to her chest, with her cheek on her knees while she looked at him.

"Feeling any better?" Alex asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"A little. What's up?" Vanessa asked him. Alex just held up a couple of bottles of beers, Vanessa laughing a little.

"Thought you could use some company, someone to hang out with." Alex told her, unscrewing the lid off one of the bottles and handing it to her, proceeding to unscrew the other. "As friends." Vanessa held out her bottle.

"To friends." Vanessa told him, and they clinked bottles, both taking a sip. "Thanks Alex."

"Hey, I said I wanted to help. Making you feel better is a personal victory for me." Alex joked, Vanessa laughing too as they both took another sip of beer.

* * *

David walked down the steps into the prison, looking into the left cell to find Noir pressed up against the bars, eyes completely filled in purple, looking at him curiously. Xerxes lay on her bed behind her, glancing up at them.

"She's been _vaiting_ for you." Xerxes told him.

"Are you?" David asked Noir, who cocked her head to the side slightly.

"I haven't been waiting. I knew you would come." Noir told him.

"...You know, you're really creepy." David told the petite girl.

"She is creepy. That's why she's here!" Hecate exclaimed from the other cell.

"You can keep quiet. You're just a psycho." David told her.

"I'm not a psycho! The voices just tell me to do things!" Hecate pleaded, pressing herself up against the bars. "Ahhh, I'm kidding! Or am I?"

"I don't care. What do you mean?" David asked Noir.

"I can see the future, the past, your end, your beginning. I've seen Anna's. Let's see yours..." Noir held out her hand to him. He looked at it.

"I was a mind reader, and I've seen futures and pasts. It is something nobody can see. Especially mine." He told Noir, who lowered her hand and walked to the corner of the room, crouching down as much as she could. He turned to Xerxes. "Where's Lexus?"

"King Taub. He's in another cell. Prisoner number six, _ve'll_ throw him a party." Xerxes said sarcastically. "He's back there." She gestured to her left, where another cell stood. David walked over and looked inside to see Lexus in matching grey attire to the other prisoners, banging on the walls, yelling. The cell had glass covering the entrance, with a red button on the side. David pressed it and the sound came through.

"Do you hear me?! I am King Lexus Taub, let me out of here this instant!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

"You might as well save your breath, nobody can hear you. Well, I can now." David told Lexus, who turned to David with metaphorical flames in his eyes.

"Let me out of here, right now, you little fucker!" He ordered, banging his fists on the glass.

"Yeah...I can't do that. I went through _so_ much effort to put you here. Now that you are here...I'm going to celebrate." David told the old man. "I'm gonna get drunk."

"Listen here, you bastard, if you don't let me out of here _right now_ I will-" Lexus was cut off when David let go of the button, Lexus continued yelling with nobody to hear him.

"Hey, can _ve_ have one? It's been a _vhile_ since any of us has had anything but _vater_." Xerxes asked. David went to th end of the corridor and picked up a case of beers, handing them to Xerxes.

"Share them. And don't forget why you're getting this." David reminded the woman.

" _Ve_ _vill_." Xerxes told him with a nod.

"We're drinking tonight. Hell yeah!" Hecate cheered.

"This is going to be a long night." Sky muttered, lying on her bed and covering her eyes with a heavy sigh.

* * *

Anna walked up to the gate of Cydonia, looking up at John.

"John!" She yelled, catching his attention.

"Yes?" He asked.

"I'm looking for David, have you seen him?" Anna asked him.

"Uhh, oddly enough, I saw him going into the church with some alcohol. I didn't get a chance to ask why. Odd." John told her, muttering the last part to himself.

"Okay, thanks John." Anna thanked, walking towards the church. John turned back and looked out at the army of grymm outside the walls, growling at him and reaching up at him. He looked away, disgusted, but his attention was caught by gunfire in the distance, and the sounds of grymm being crushed and sliced by weapons. John raised his assault rifle and looked down at three approaching people.

Or more accurately, approaching hunters.

After they had cleared out a large portion of grymm, John leapt down from his watch tower and opened the gate to let the three of them in, who sheathed their weapons. One of them was a man in his mid thirties with red hair and red eyes. He wore a red shirt with a black jacket and a brown scarf. He had a set of black trousers and black boots on. On his back was a single, silver metal and red handled machete with red detail.

The second was a huntress, who looked to be in her early thirties with blonde hair split into two pigtails and brown eyes. She wore a brown short sleeved shirt with a sleeveless yellow leather jacket and a necklace with a padlock attached to it. She wore brown skin tight jeans and brown boots. On her hips were a pair of pistols with knifes attached to the front at a downward angle.

The third was a hunter, who lifted a flask, only for it to be empty. He sighed annoyingly and turned to John. "Where's the local tavern? I need a top up."

"That way, sir." John told him, pointing towards the tavern. "Scott, Bethany, good to see you both."

"Likewise." Scott told John with a nod.

"Umm, who's he?" John asked.

"A hunter we met on our way back, said he came here to check on the tower. Apparently, there has been interference." Bethany told John.

"Well, you'd best get back to your house, it's been a while, and there are things you need caught up to speed on." John told them.

"Righty-O. See you later, John." Scott waved off, he and Bethany walking away as John closed the gate.

* * *

Anna opened the doors of the church, walking in and closing the doors behind her. The church was vast and empty, rows of church benches made from wood with orange pillows on the backs. The glass was stained and has symbols engraved into them that Anna didn't understand. At the front was an alter, and a statue of a man behind it. She looked at the front row, on the right side, and David sat there, drinking from a bottle. Anna walked over to him and sat net to him.

"Oh! Anna, didn't notice you there." David told her with a slight slur in his voice due to the alcohol.

"I didn't think you would, you have been drinking." Anna noted, looking at the several empty bottles. "David, what are you doing?"

"What I am doing...Is celebrating a victory." David raised his bottle in said victory. "Against Lexus Taub, who is now behind bars. Now, this community can be better."

"And what, you want to lead them now?" Anna asked him, who groaned annoyingly.

"I've said before, I'm not cut out to be a leader. I can barely hold a team of four." David said with a down expression, taking another sip of beer. "Have one if you want. Celebrate a little." Anna took him up on the offer and opened one, taking a sip.

"Fuck, this stuff is strong. How many have you had?" Anna asked, coughing a little.

"Just a few." David told her. "I don't want to kill myself, not anymore anyway." David downed the rest of the bottle, opening up another.

"...W-What do you mean 'not anymore'?" Anna asked him, a hint of fear in her voice.

"Anna, you know how I was born, right? About how my mother died in childbirth?" David asked her.

"Yeah, you've mentioned it once." Anna told David, taking another sip of beer.

"Ever since then, I've just...fought people without any hope of survival, since I thought my life wasn't worth it. My mom died so I could live. Heck, I _should_ be dead, if it weren't for you. You saved me from the chainsaw-wielding lieutenant on the train, I didn't think I'd live." David explained to her.

"David...why?" Anna asked, tears welling in her eyes.

"Because I didn't care!" David yelled, getting up from his seat. "I'm a monster inside and out, with powers like I do, you can't be around anyone in case you kill them. But...that's different now. I've changed, you, Indiana and Kiley all changed me. Now, I have a purpose." David and Anna remained in a brief silence, drinking their beer.

"David. Why are you distancing yourself from me?" Anna asked him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." David lied.

"Everybody Lies." Anna told David.

"Damn credo. Yes, okay, I admit it." David admitted to her.

"Why David?" He didn't respond. "Why?!" Anna asked, getting angry.

"Because I don't want to lose you!" David yelled, slamming his bottle onto the bench angrily, surprising Anna. "Anna...I have a bad track record with women. Sarah May, my mom, died before I even opened my eyes. Neo, my friend, taken away and turned into my enemy. Ruby and Yang, my cousins, taken away by a mission and I'll likely not see them again. Samantha, trapped in a portal for years and came out with a different name. And you, Anna, my girlfriend, you're slowly dying because on an incurable infection. Anna, I...I don't want to lose you."

"David..." Anna got up and stood next to him with teary eyes. "You can't live like this. Living in fear and death. You lose your mother because she wanted to have you. Neo made her choice, and it was her own. Ruby and Yang are gone, but they're safe, safer than we are. And who knows, you might see them again. Samantha...Kiley, she's a new woman with a new life, not just a kid anymore. And me...you're Anna...I'm strong enough to fight this, you know I am. We've faced worse. David, I continue to fight with you because I couldn't bare to lose you. You are all I have left. I-I love you."

"Y-You do?" David asked, surprised.

"Of course I do! David, I love you, I have ever since you saved me all those years ago." Anna admitted, putting down her beer and hugging David tightly. "Do...you love me?"

"Anna, in all of my life, I have never felt the same about a woman than I have with you. I've never doubted these feelings, because I know they're true. Anna, I love you." David answered immediately, and Anna smiled largely, leaping up and kissing David passionately, wrapping her arms around his neck, David wrapping his arms around her waist, both of them closing their eyes. Weeks of pent-up passion and love were released into a single kiss, neither of them willing to let go of each other, only pulling apart when their lungs demanded it.

"David..." Anna sad breathlessly. "Bedroom."

"Bedroom."

* * *

"-And after all that, Linda gave me a job!" Alex finished, Vanessa laughing loudly as she fell back on her bed, Alex laughing too as he took another sip of beer, but discovered it was empty. Vanessa tried to drink more of her drink, but it too was empty.

"You want to go get some more?" Vanessa half asked, half told him to get them.

"I don't know...it's getting a little late." Alex looked outside at the pitch black sky.

"Nonsense! The night is still young. Now go, go! I've still got some stories to tell." Vanessa told him as he sighed, getting to his feet and leaving his house, walking to and entering the tavern. He walked up to the bar and to Adele.

"Back so soon? You were just here for beer an hour or two ago." Adele told him with a smirk.

"Hey, just friends hanging out, having fun." Alex told her, and she just shook her head, grabbing another case of beer. "I'm...just trying my best. She did just lose someone important, and I'm trying to take her mind off that."

"And beer helps, right?" Adele asked, holding up the case, which she handed to Alex. "You're tab is just getting bigger and bigger."

"Just send the bill to Miranda Sapphire, she'll cover it." Alex told her.

"You do that, she'll kick your ass." Adele joked.

"Yeah, I know. I know." Alex told Adele, walking away from the bar.

"Hey, you can't leave yet." Adele yelled at him. Alex turning back to her with a long, heavy sigh.

"Why? I'm kind of busy." Alex looked at his wrist, pretending a watch was there.

"You owe me a promise~" She reminded him with a wink.

"...Yeah, I remember. Where do you want to go?" Alex asked her with a small smile, which she returned.

"Well, I'd love to go to Vale. And with the Vytal Tournament a few days away, I think it would be fun." Adele suggested.

"Fine, I concede. But, after the tournament, it'll be crowded during, and I'd rather it be more...quiet." Alex changed.

"It's a date!" Adele cheered quietly with a large grin. Alex smirked and exited the tavern, only to be stopped.

"Oh, for the love of-what?" Alex asked.

"You're the scout that found Team DARK, right kid?" The man asked.

"Yeah, why?" Alex asked.

"I'm looking for my son. Go get David for me." He ordered. Alex looked at him, surprised.

"You're him? _You're_ David's father?" Alex asked.

"What's this, a Q and A? Just got get him!" He yelled, taking a swig of his flask.

"Y-Yes sir!" Alex ran out of the tavern, the hunter chuckling to himself.

* * *

David and Anna both lay in his bed, naked, underneath the covers. Anna had her head on his chest wither her arms around his stomach while he had an arm around on her back, holding her close. Both had small smiles on their faces.

"David. David, wake up." Immediately, both David and Anna shot out of bed, David grabbing and cocking Vanessa's revolver while Anna unsheathed her katana, both pointing their weapons at Alex, who had her hands up.

"Someone's here to see you." Alex told him, smiling awkwardly as he looked away. Both David and Anna realised what state they were in.

"Give me a minute." David told him, gesturing Alex to leave, which he did hastily. David and Anna glanced at each other, blushing madly.

"So, that was uh..." Anna started with a smile.

"Good?" David asked, reaching for his trousers.

"Great, more than that." Anna laughed a little, getting back into the bed as David pulled on his shirt. "So, you mentioned something about being a constable?"

"Yeah, Miranda and Linda thought it would be a good idea. I'm not too sure." David told her, slipping on his left boot.

"I think you'd be great for the job. And a woman does love a man in uniform." Anna joked, David laughing little.

"I'll think about it. In the mean time, more business to attend too." David sighed.

"Don't be too long." Anna told David, lying on the bed in a seductive pose.

"I won't, whatever it is. I'll be back soon." David muttered, putting on his boots.

"I'll be waiting~" Anna teased with a wink.

" _Extra_ soon." He added, leaning over to give her a kiss, which she happily reciprocated. David got up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Alex walked back into his house, walking upstairs and into the room. He sighed and sat down on the bed, walking Vanessa up, who had recently fallen back asleep.

"Alex? What took you so long?" Vanessa asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, I got a little sidetracked..." Alex told her slowly.

"...How?" Vanessa asked, grabbing and opening another beer.

"Well, I was in the tavern, setting up the date with Adele, and I saw a hunter of legend, one I hadn't seen but heard of, who told me to get David. When I did, I woke him up to be greeted with David pointing a revolver at me and Anna holding out her katana, both of them naked from what I assume was them...consummating their relationship." Alex explained to Vanessa, who blushed a little.

"Well, you've had a night..." Vanessa told him.

"Yeah...a hell of a night..." Alex agreed, and held up a bottle. "Cheers."

"Cheers." They clinked bottles and drank.

* * *

David walked into the tavern, walking up to the bar and to Adele. "So, apparently someone is here to see me." He told Adele.

"Yeah, some drunk. He's over there." Adele pointed to the corner of the room, David narrowing his eyes and walking in that direction. When he reached the corner, he stopped in surprise.

"Qrow?"

"Would it kill 'ya to call me 'dad'?" Qrow asked, downing a shot of whisky. "How you been, kiddo."

"Umm, great! What are-How did you know I was here?" David asked, sitting opposite him.

"Just sent by Oz, something's going on with the communications tower, wanted me to check it out. It didn't take long, but it looks in good condition to me. What about you?" Qrow asked.

"We crashed a few miles from here, Alex brought us to Cydonia to help Anna, and well, all of us. We just got the king arrested, so new leadership is in Cydonia, and new rules." David explained.

"Who's gonna be leader? You?" Qrow asked his son.

"Why does everyone keep saying that? No, I'm not being the leader, Linda is, Miranda is helping too. They want me to be the constable of Cydonia." David told Qrow.

"A cop? Bit below your pay grade, isn't it?" Qrow joked. "I think you should do it."

"You're not the only one who thinks that." He told Qrow.

"Who else agrees? You're girl?" Qrow asked his son.

"Yes. And just so you know, you interrupted a very intimate moment between the two of us." David told Qrow with an annoyed tone, just getting a laugh back.

"Intimate, huh? Finally went the whole way? Good lad." Qrow downed the rest of his whisky. "Well, I'm gonna get some shut-eye. You can get back to you're girl." Qrow got up from his seat, walking away and patting his son on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Dad." David thanked.

"You know, I never really believed you could be a true hunter. The ones you see today are showboating, acting over-the-top, trying to be like heroes. But you, _you're_ a true hero, because of what you're doing here. You've given up a hunter career to keep these people safe. _That_ is what a hunter does, protect people, not acting like a hero. David, I'm proud of you. And I'm sure Sarah is too." Qrow told him.

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you. You're a good kid." Qrow patted him on the shoulder and went upstairs into the bedrooms. David left with higher spirits back to his house, and his girlfriend.

* * *

 _Keep your 'letric eye on me babe  
Put your ray gun to my head  
Press your space face close to mine, love  
Freak out in a moonage daydream, oh yeah..._

* * *

 **And that, is what I call, the end of Arc 2 of the story. Everything is good, everyone is happy, and David and Anna are back, stronger than ever. But, the story isn't over just yet, there is still more story to show. It'll all come together soon.**

 **Just a note, I have created a wikia based on this universe that you can use to find out about the characters, locations and most importantly, physical appearances.**

 **The website is:** **the-xiao-long-chronicles .wikia wiki/ Main_Page**

 **And remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter nine!**


	9. Time

_**Song from Previous Chapter**_

 _ **"Moonage Daydream"**_

 _ **Artist - David Bowie**_

* * *

 _We can't just wait with lives at stake,  
Until they think we're ready.  
Our enemies are gathering,  
The storm is growing deadly..._

* * *

"Over the last two weeks, the number of grymm has increasingly grown, the walls are beginning to strain. If we don't deal with these soon, those walls are coming down. Any ideas?" Alex explained to him.

"What did Linda and Miranda say?" David asked.

"They said 'we have more political things to do, ask the constable', so that's what I'm doing." Alex rephrased.

"...They didn't call me 'the constable', did they?" David asked, glancing at Alex and back at the grymm.

"Hey, it's your job, that's what ou should be called." Alex reminded him.

"Right." David analysed the walls. "We need to add more supports to the walls, sort term. Long term, built another wall in front of this one, fill the gap with dirt from in front of the second wall, building trenches to slow down any grymm. That should stop them."

"We can't do much with the grymm still there." Alex reminded David.

"A few hundred seems a bit much to deal with with our weapons. Gunfire will draw more. We have to draw them away." David told him.

"Alright, this is good. But how?" Alex asked out loud.

"I need to see Joshua Wayne. His AI might have an idea. Come on." David gestured Alex to follow, the two of them walking to the lab. Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching, overhearing their plan. They pulled out their modified scroll and dialled.

"Adam, we have a problem...David is about to remove the grymm threat...using an AI...the AI will figure out how to draw them away...what?...yes sir...yes sir, over and out."

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER NINE**

* * *

 **DAY 28**

* * *

David walked into the laboratory, the doors automatically opening before him and closing once he entered. He looked over at the furthest desk to see Joshua madly typing on a computer, oblivious to David. David walked up to him and coughed, catching his attention.

"Ah, David, glad to see you." Joshua greeted, zooming away from the computer and over to another desk. "You should have came here a few days ago. You're weapon is ready!" Joshua zoomed back over to David, holding a metal rod in his hands. David looked at it, amazed.

"It's beautiful." David muttered.

"Ah, it is, isn't it. The metal casing made of pure, what was it, 'Ultramanium' I've heard people say, the carvings a particular design, filled in with a solid carved black rock. Once activated, a blue sabre will be summoned from the hilt. It can cut through anything at full strength, you have the ability to determine how strong it is, what it is capable of cutting through. This weapon is quite possibly the strongest weapon in Remnant." Joshua explained, handing it to David. "And now, it is yours."

"Thank you. I owe you." David told the scientist.

"Nonsense! You repaid me when you gave me the AI code." Joshua reminded him.

"How is that going?" David asked the scientist, attaching the lightsabre to his belt.

"Almost complete. The body for the AI is extremely complicated." Joshua told David vaguely, and zoomed over to a computer. "Now, I have important work to do, and you have a tournament to get to, if I'm not mistaken."

"You're right. I'll see you around, Joshua." David nodded and left, pretty sure that Joshua didn't notice.

* * *

Vanessa loaded her revolver, flipping the chamber into place and holstering it on the left side of her leather jacket. She attached her daggers to her belt, magnetically sealing into place. She packed some extra clothes into a bag and zipped it shut, putting the bag on her back. Vanessa exited the room and out of Alex's house, walking down the path and to the airship pad.

On the pad was an Atlesian Dropship, modified to reduce travel time to Vale from days to hours. Outside the dropship stood the rest of Vanessa's team, Amber and Umber Carmine and Xander Silver. Vanessa approached the rest of the team.

"Vanessa, I don't believe we've met properly. In Xander." He introduced himself, holding out his hand.

"A pleasure. I'm sorry we haven't spoken properly, but I've been...busy." Vanessa replied, shaking it.

"I heard. Sorry about your sister." Xander told her, letting go of her hand.

"I-I-Thank you. I'll...get over it soon enough." Vanessa told him sadly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean too-"

"It's fine." Vanessa assured him. "Ready to go?"

"Sure am. I've never left Cydonia before, it could be fun." Xander guessed, leaning against the dropship and opening his flask, taking a sip. "And some better alcohol." Vanessa rolled her eyes and boarded the dropship.

* * *

"Why can't I go?" Anna pouted, sitting on her and David's bed while he packed.

"Because you're still ill. I don't want you to get hurt, and who knows, maybe you can go another time." David told Anna, and picked up a black helmet.

"What's that?" Anna asked, leaning forward slightly.

"It's an old helmet Alex gave to me, said this is what the old Knights of Cydonia used to wear as protection instead of those golden forehead piece. I need this for the Vytal Tournament, the people there who tried to kill me before are still there. I don't want them to know I'm there, so I don't, you know, die." David explained to Anna, putting the helmet into the bag and zipped it closed. "All done."

"Nooo, don't go." Anna begged, wrapping her arms around David. David chuckled, holding onto her hands.

"It's only for a week. Is it really that bad?" David asked her.

"Yes, I've been by your side since we crashed at Cydonia, I don't want you to leave me now. Pleeeese?" Anna pleaded, hugging him tighter.

"What if I bring you something back from Vale? What do you miss most?" David asked Anna, who thought about it for a second.

"Well, my scroll was destroyed in the crash, and so was yours, so bringing a few back would help, especially so we can communicate over long distance." Anna told David.

"You just said we're never apart." David reminded her, and she scoffed.

"It was an expression." Anna responded. "Just do that for me, please."

"Fine. I best be off now, I'll see you in a week." David tried pulling away.

"Nooooooo!" Anna pulled him back onto the bed.

"Anna, I-" He was cut off with a strong, passionate kiss which David returned, holding onto her tightly as she lay on top of him. Anna pulled away with a smirk. "Maybe I don't have to go _just_ yet." Anna giggled and the two kissed again.

* * *

Alex opened up the prison cell, walking down the steps to the cells with the women getting ready to leave, his arms filled with their weapons. "You all decent?"

"I mean, if you want me too, I don't mind either way~"

"Damn it, Hecate, stop with the advances, you have a girlfriend!" Sky yelled at her.

"Oh, I'm just teasing. I love _you_ , Sky~" Hecate kissed her girlfriend, who rolled her eyes and kissed back.

"Uhh, get a room." Alex muttered, walking up to Noir and Xerxes' cell. "You two ready?"

"Yes, _ve_ are ready." Xerxes answered. Xerxes wore a near-full set of dark red plated armour, without the helmet, which seemed to slightly glow in the dark. Alex handed her a pair of gauntlets with three spring loaded claws with jagged ends which she attached to her wrists.

"I am ready." Noir answered calmly, walking up to the cell door. She wore an Elysium Academy uniform, which was a grey skirt, black boots, grey tights. a white collared shirt with a grey cardigan and a black tie.

"Don't you need your weapon?" Alex asked the petite girl.

"I need no weapon. The demon will protect me, keep me safe." Noir answered, cocking her head to the side a little.

"Noir, you're weird." Alex said bluntly, Noir smiling cutely at that. He turned to the other girls. "You ready?"

"Ready for anything." Sky nodded to him. She was wearing a deep blue singlet with stitches in the cloth covering slash marks where her ribs are. She wore a pair of crystal bracelets which pulsed from dark to light blue in a steady rhythm. A light blue skirt that reached knees with leather roman-style open sandals. Alex handed her a 3-foot long blade, which she folded into three and put on her back and he handed her a multi-shot pistol, which she attached to her right thigh.

"Ready for everyone!" Hecate cheered, raising her arms above her heads. She was wearing an _obscenely_ short skirt with a faded blue shirt, riddled with bullet holes. An open deep black hooded leather jacket with dust infused, to look like power circuits. Alex handed her her weapon, a 12 inch long dagger with a handle coloured silvery blue. She sighed lovingly, stroking the weapon and attached it to the small of her back.

"Alright, just so we're clear, you're not going to try and kill me and escape, will you?" Alex asked, holding up his hands slightly.

"I give you my _vord_ , no harm _vill_ come to you." Xerxes promised, clenching a fist and holding it to her chest for a moment.

"Good enough for me." Alex unlocked Noir and Xerxes' cell, and then opened Hecate and Sky's cell, the four of them walking past and exiting the prison and into the fresh air.

"Oh, fresh air! Sunlight! It's been _so_ long." Hecate celebrated, practically dancing in joy in the sunlight and grass.

"Just move to the dropship, we're leaving as soon as David arrives." Alex sighed annoyingly walking along the path with Noir and Xerxes, Sky dragging her girlfriend along. They quickly reached the dropship, and everyone was there, except David.

" _Vhere_ is David?" Xerxes asked.

"I don't know, he should have packed by now." Alex told her. "Unless...Oh, he better now have..."

* * *

David finished putting his clothes on, _again_ , getting off the bed and putting the bag on his back. Anna leant forward and stopped him by grabbing him on his shoulder.

"Anna, I've got to go now. I promise to call once I get there." David promised, turning to Anna, who's naked body was barely covered by the blanket.

"You'd better. I love you." Anna leant forward, kissing him.

"Love you too." David stood up and exited the room, briefly glancing back at Anna, who gave him a small smile as he left. David exited the house and reached the airship, where Teams HAUS and NXHS had already boarded, and Alex was looking at David, shaking his head. "What?"

"You just had to, didn't you?" Alex asked.

"She overpowered me!" David justified.

"With what? Her strength? Or her more 'specialised' abilities? We were supposed to leave 20 minutes ago." Alex told David annoyingly. David walked past him and boarded the dropship.

"Waiting on you." David said, Alex looking at him with an amazed and surprised expression.

"Why am I even your friend?" Alex asked rhetorically.

"One of lives great mysteries, isn't it?" David asked Alex.

"Touché." Alex agreed, the two of them taking a seat as the door closed. The airship took off towards Vale.

* * *

 **DAY 49**

* * *

Anna typed in David's number on her scroll and called, holding the scroll to her ear as it rang, Alex and Vanessa observing from across the room. She paced a little around the sitting room as it continued to ring, but the call failed.

"Damn it!" Anna yelled, throwing the scroll onto the sofa as she covered her face with her hands.

"Anna, I'm sorry, but calling him isn't going to work. The CCT in Vale was destroyed by that Grimm Dragon, the whole network is down." Alex reminded her, who lowered her arms and slumped down onto the sofa.

"Why didn't he come back with you?" Anna asked.

"I've said a million times, he stayed with Ruby and Yang. I'm not sure why, but whatever it is, it's important." Alex explained to her.

"More important than us?" Anna mumbled sadly.

"They are his cousins, blood comes first." Vanessa spoke up.

"He's two weeks overdue. He can teleport, why not just come back and tell us?" Anna asked them.

"I really don't know. Unfortunately, we just need faith in him that he'll come back." Alex told Anna. "Look, it's one in the morning. You'd best get to sleep, me and Vanessa are on gate duty anyway."

"Oh, okay. Thanks, both of you." Anna murmured sadly, walking upstairs as Alex and Vanessa left the house. Anna entered the bedroom, stripping down to a black vest and underwear and getting into bed, lying down and thinking about what could have happened to David. After what felt like hours, she started to drift off to sleep.

A cloud of yellow smoke appeared in the room, Anna shooting up as David appeared wearing black pajama pants and a white bandage wrapped around his stomach. Anna got up, walking up to him as David expected a hug, but was instead promptly punched in the face.

"I was expecting a hug, but I'll take it." David joked, rubbing his jaw, but Anna was just glaring at him.

"Where. Have. You. Been." Anna asked coldly, fire in her eyes. David sighed and took her hand, leading her over to the bed, both of them sitting on it.

"Anna, do you know what happened in Vale?" David asked her.

"Alex and Vanessa told me about the Grimm getting into the kingdom, the dragon destroying the CCT, casualties were...high." Anna told him, pausing at the last part.

"It was worse." David told her seriously. "A few months ago, the CCT was infiltrated by Cinder Fall and she uploaded a virus, which is what disabled the security around Vale, and took control of the Atlesian Knights and Paladins. The AK's were attacking, along with the Grimm and The White Fang. Adam Taurus shot me in the stomach, as you can see, so I couldn't teleport without tearing open the wound. Penny, she was destroyed by Pyrrha, Pyrrha was manipulated by an illusion semblance. Pyrrha, the invincible girl, Cinder killed her before I could kill Cinder." Anna covered her mouth in shock. "Epsilon...Cinder got control over him, he killed over 300 people that night. He shut himself down, I don't know if he'll wake up. Yang, I tired to stop Adam, he took off her right arm, clean off. She's in a bad way."

"Oh my god, it's all gone?" Anna asked in a whisper.

"No, they managed to make a safe zone. The dragon was stopped by Ruby, but it's drawing more Grimm to Beacon. Weiss was taken away by her father, and Blake is on the run, but still alive. Not everyone was lost." David assured her, Anna sighing in relief.

"Wait, how did Ruby stop the dragon?" Anna asked David.

"Did your mom ever tell you about the silver eyes warriors?" Anna nodded. "They're real. Ruby Rose is one of them, when she saw Pyrrha die, she unleashed the power and froze the dragon. Cinder's just gone, poof, disappeared. Summer Rose was one of them before she died. And even though he doesn't know, and he _won't_ know, Xander Silver is another silver eyes warrior. He can _never_ know."

"David. What now?" Anna asked, recomposing herself.

"What we need to do, is deal with those Grymm outside those walls. Then, I need to go back to Patch and help Ruby stop the bad guys in Mistral." David told her.

"What? David, you can't go to Mistral. Without communication, how would we know you're even alive?" Anna said to him.

"I don't have a choice. They know about me, they've tried to kill me before, they'll try again. I've got to beat them to it." David explained to Anna.

"How long will you be gone?" Anna asked.

"Once this is dealt with, I don't know. It could be months."

"No. You can't go." Anna ordered him.

"Why? Anna this is a matter of humanities existence. What is so important that I have to stay?" David asked. Anna looked away from him, taking a deep breath and looked at him, fully focused.

"David...I'm pregnant."

* * *

Alex looked down from the lookout post at the grymm outside the walls, growling and moaning while reaching at him. He looked at the metal walls as they creaked under the pressure.

"Something up?" Vanessa asked, climbing up the lookout post.

"Look at the walls, what do you notice?" Alex asked, Vanessa leaning over the edge a little.

"Uh...looks fine. Am I missing something?" Vanessa wondered, looking at Alex.

"The walls. Made of solid steel, 15 feet high, 10 feet wide slabs, designed to keep everything out. But, those walls are _bending_. Sooner or later, those walls are going to come down." Alex explained to her.

"That's...not good. How can we deal with it?" Vanessa asked Alex.

"I'll let Linda and Miranda know, then I'll tell our constable. Then, we'll deal with it." Alex told her, Vanessa laughing. "What?"

"Just calling him a constable, I just never imagined we'd ever have one. But David of all people? Not a chance." Vanessa told Alex.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Alex agreed, looking back down at the grymm.

* * *

"Your...pregnant?" David asked, grasping what had just been told to him.

"Yes, David, I am. Remember the night we took down Taub, had our confession at church. Our...first time...it was then." Anna told David. David leant back, taking a deep breath.

"Okay...okay, this is-this is great news. I can't believe that I'm going to be a _dad_." David rubbed his eyes, getting back up and held onto Anna. "Anna, I need to know, do you want this baby. It's all your choice."

"Yes." Anna answered immediately. "David, I love you. I never expected it to be this early, but I would love to have a kid, our kid."

"Then this, right now, is the greatest moment of my life." David hugged her tightly. "Anna, I love you. For now, let's try to keep this private. Only tell who we can trust."

"Agreed." Anna hugged back. "I missed you." Anna told him, muffled by his chest.

"Come on, it's late. You need rest, for both of you." David told her, Anna slapping him playfully.

"Shut up." Anna said to him.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for David Junior." David joked, lying down on the bed, Anna looking at him with a shocked expression.

"I'm sorry? 'David Junior'? More like Anna Junior." Anna disagreed, lying down and resting her head on his chest.

"I'm right."

"Wrong."

* * *

"Wow...a kid, huh?" Alex asked David, the two of them standing at the gate of Cydonia.

"Yeah, she said it was that night at the church. We both had...a bit to drink, one thing led to another, I'm going to be a dad in about eight months. Now, this is a very personal thing between me and Anna, so right now, why are we here?" David asked, looking at the grymm on the other side of the gate.

"Over the last two weeks, the number of grymm has increasingly grown, the walls are beginning to strain. If we don't deal with these soon, those walls are coming down. Any ideas?" Alex explained to him.

"What did Linda and Miranda say?" David asked.

"They said 'we have more political things to do, ask the constable', so that's what I'm doing." Alex rephrased.

"...They didn't call me 'the constable', did they?" David asked, glancing at Alex and back at the grymm.

"Hey, it's your job, that's what ou should be called." Alex reminded him.

"Right." David analysed the walls. "We need to add more supports to the walls, sort term. Long term, built another wall in front of this one, fill the gap with dirt from in front of the second wall, building trenches to slow down any grymm. That should stop them."

"We can't do much with the grymm still there." Alex reminded David.

"A few hundred seems a bit much to deal with with our weapons. Gunfire will draw more. We have to draw them away." David told him.

"Alright, this is good. But how?" Alex asked out loud.

"I need to see Joshua Wayne. His AI might have an idea. Come on." David gestured Alex to follow, the two of them walking to the lab. Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching, overhearing their plan. They pulled out their modified scroll and dialled.

"Adam, we have a problem...David is about to remove the grymm threat...using an AI...the AI will figure out how to draw them away...what?...yes sir...yes sir, over and out."

* * *

David and Alex entered the laboratory, Joshua over at one of his desks with a small, fist sized red box in his hands.

"Umm, Joshua, what's that?" David asked, pointing at the box.

"Ah, David, this is it. This is the AI." Joshua said excitedly.

"That is the AI? I thought AI's looked like people." Alex told Joshua, thinking back about Epsilon.

"It depends on the body that is built. They can have no body, a human body, or a sophisticated body." Joshua explained. He threw the box in the air, and it fell, stopping at head hight as it glowed red. "Say hello, Crimson Cube."

" **Hello, Crimson Cube. I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.** " The AI spoke in a British accent.

"This is the AI?" Alex repeated. "Crimson Cube?"

" **What? Were you expecting me to be emotionless, mindless and obedient to my human overlords. I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken.** " Crimson Cube answered. " **And please, call me CC. It's easier in your conversation.** "

"Okay, CC, tell me about the grymm." David ordered the AI.

" **The grymm are what you call the walking dead people outside. They are infected by another grymm and the infection spreads through the blood stream until it shuts down the heart, killing the host. The host is revived at the brain stem with an undying desire to eat other people. Cure is currently unknown.** " CC explained.

"That is unfortunate. I was hoping you'd be the answer to this infection." Joshua muttered dejectedly.

"How do we draw them away?" David asked.

" **You can ask me personal questions, I do have a conscious, you know? I'm sure you'd much rather find out how to stop the living dead, but I'd rather tell you about my hopes and dreams, that is what you humans depend on.** " CC said sarcastically.

"Answer the question." David told the AI, annoyance in his voice.

" **Yes, constable. They are led by basic instincts, sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. If you want to draw them away, use a noise that doesn't please them. They will walk away and go munch on squirrels for the rest of their undead lives.** " CC told them.

"That's genius! Lead the grymm away with no collateral damage! I must start working on what will draw the grymm away." Joshua proclaimed.

" **If I may, Joshua, I have scanned all of the grymm outside the walls and used trial and error to find the correct frequency. If we go to the communications tower now, I can start on the signal immediately. Or, we could talk mindlessly and wonder why we are here.** " CC said sarcastically.

"Right." Joshua muttered, defeated. "To the tower!" The three men and the AI exited to the communications tower, unaware of the disaster and death to come.

* * *

 _Were we born to fight and die? Sacrificed for one huge lie?  
_ _Are we heroes keeping peace?  
_ _Or are we weapons?  
_ _Pointed at the enemy, so someone else can claim a victory?_

* * *

 **And the start of Arc 3 starts with a bang. Anna's pregnant!? Who saw that coming!? So, along with that, a new AI has been created, and he can stop the grymm from getting in Cydonia. But, can the AI be trusted? Who overheard David's plan? Has Epsilon's prophesy been fulfilled?**

 **Find out soon...**

 **Just a note, I have created a wikia based on this universe that you can use to find out about the characters, locations and most importantly, physical appearances.**

 **The website is:** **the-xiao-long-chronicles .wikia wiki/ Main_Page**

 **And remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter ten!**


	10. Falls

_**Song from Previous Chapter**_

 _ **"Time to Say Goodbye"**_

 _ **Artist - Jeff & Casey Lee Williams**_

* * *

 _Maybe red's like roses?_  
 _Maybe it's a pool of blood,_  
 _The innocents will lay in,_  
 _When in the end, you've failed to save them?_

* * *

David unlocked the prison and entered, Vanessa following behind him, looking around curiously.

"I never knew this building was here." Vanessa said to David as they walked down the stairs. They reached the two cells and David turned to Noir and Xerxes' cell. Noir was lying on her top bunk reading a book while Xerxes slept on the bottom one.

"Noir! Time to go." David yelled, opening up the cell as Noir slowly got off her bed and walked over to him.

"The walls are falling, and you need our help." Noir told him.

"Right, the walls are- oh, yes, you're right. You're telekinetic too and we need all the help we can get to fix those walls." David explained to her.

"I'm not telekinetic, the demon is." Noir turned away quickly, murmuring quietly to herself as she looked down slightly. "He needs our help- _why should we help them_ -they'll die- _why should we care_ -we'll die- _you don't know that_ -he does though- _than touch him_ -he doesn't want too- _do it, or everyone will die_." Noir turned back to David.

"Noir, you okay?" David asked her.

"The demon will help, but we need to see the future. You're future to see if we will survive." Noir told David. David sighed and reluctantly held out his arm.

"Do it." David offered. Noir hesitated and looked at David's arm, and touched it.

All David saw was purple. Noir saw David's future.

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER TEN**

* * *

 **DAY 49**

* * *

"You're...pregnant?" Indiana asked Anna, he and Kiley sitting opposite her.

"Yeah, about a month ago, found out a week before David came back. But, yeah, I'm pregnant." Anna confirmed. Indiana turned to Kiley.

"Hey, you aren't-"

"I'm not pregnant." Kiley deadpanned.

"Oh, thank god, I'm not ready for _that_ yet." Indiana sighed in relief. "But congratulations to you and David."

"Thanks." Anna thanked. "I'm gonna go find David, any idea where he is?"

"I heard he needed to check the tower, he'll might be there." Kiley suggested.

"Right, thanks." Anna got up to leave.

"Oh, and well done on the baby." Kiley yelled as Anna exited. "I'm gonna be an aunt!"

* * *

David, Alex, Joshua and CC continued towards the tower, listening to the grymm bashing on the wall near them.

"Those walls are getting loud." Joshua noted.

"We're working on it." David assured. "Although, they have been like that for a while. If you went outside, you'd know."

"I have important work to do!" Joshua justified. "Look at that, a fully functional AI!"

" **I would prefer it if you didn't refer me as 'that', I have feelings too, even if I don't have a human body.** " CC interrupted.

"My apologise." Joshua told the AI. "I'm just more of an indoor kind of-"

"David!" They turned to see Vanessa running towards him.

"13? What is it?" David asked.

"The wall! It's bending, it's going to fall if we don't do something!" Vanessa exclaimed fearfully.

"You three, go sort out that tower, move those grymm away. I'll deal with the wall." David ordered them and ran with Vanessa to the wall while Alex, Joshua and CC ran to the tower. They reached the wall, the noise of the grymm on the other side of the wall exponentially loud, pressing their undead bodies against the metal, bending it towards them.

"You see!? Not good!" Vanessa yelled over the sound of the grymm. David looked at the wall, thinking what to do.

"We need to bend it back, hold it long enough for CC to move the grymm away!" David told her.

"Wait, what's a CC!?" Vanessa asked, confused.

"Crimson Cube, an AI Joshua created, he can move the grymm away!" David explained quickly. "We can push the wall with our combined telekinesis, force it back until CC can move them away!"

"This wall, with just us two, it's not going to be enough!" Vanessa told him.

"I know where we can find another."

* * *

Anna froze when she was walking towards the communication tower, the sound of the metal creaking under the pressure becoming more and more apparent. She snapped out of the trance and sprinted along the path and ran into the tower, reaching the locked door with the lock smashed and the doors kicked open. Cautiously, she unsheathed her katana and quietly walking in, looking around the tower. The tower had a circular base with a single set of double doors as the only way in or out. A pillar in the centre of the room, a meter in diameter with dozens of computer consoles, all of them flashing red ominously.

"Hello?" Anna called out.

"Anna?! Get over here!" Alex yelled, Anna lowering her katana and ran over to him, gasping and covering her mouth when she saw Alex clutching his stomach with an arrow in it, and Joshua on the ground with an arrow through his right eye, piercing the back of his skull.

"What happened?" Anna asked, running over to Alex.

"I got attacked, I didn't see who." Alex said, and winced. "You need to take the arrow out, put pressure on the wound until we get to the hospital."

"Okay. Just...take a deep breath." Anna told him, Alex taking a deep breath and nodded. As quickly as she could, Anna pulled the arrow out of Alex's stomach, who strained in pain as he suppressed a yell of pain. Anna quickly pressed her hands against the wound. "You're aura should kick in, heal the would partially until we get you to Doc." Anna told him, who just laughed.

"Aura. Humanities greatest weapon. I guess you didn't know, but mine isn't unlocked, only fully trained hunters do." Alex told her, and she looked at him surprised.

"Then why did you make me take the arrow out? You're gonna bleed out if we don't-"

"Look out!" Alex pushed Anna away as an arrow flew by her and stuck into the wall next to Alex's head.

"Technically, it's a bolt, not an arrow." Anna and Alex turned to see Darren walking towards them, throwing aside his crossbow as he reached behind his back, grabbing a pair of tomahawks. "I'm afraid my work here isn't done, and I can't have any distractions." Anna got up, holding out her katana.

"What are you doing?" Anna demanded. Darren smirked, twirling his tomahawks.

"Bringing down those walls."

* * *

David unlocked the prison and entered, Vanessa following behind him, looking around curiously.

"I never knew this building was here." Vanessa said to David as they walked down the stairs. They reached the two cells and David turned to Noir and Xerxes' cell. Noir was lying on her top bunk reading a book while Xerxes slept on the bottom one.

"Noir! Time to go." David yelled, walking up to the cell as Noir slowly got off her bed and walked over to him.

"David, what are you doing here?" Hecate asked, walking up to the cell door.

"None of your business." David ignored her, unlocking Noir's cell door.

"Hey, I've here too, I deserve to know.

"The walls are falling, and you need our help." Noir told him.

"Right, the walls are- oh, yes, you're right. You're telekinetic too and we need all the help we can get to fix those walls." David explained to her.

"I'm not telekinetic, the demon is." Noir turned away quickly, murmuring quietly to herself as she looked down slightly. "He needs our help- _why should we help them_ -they'll die- _why should we care_ -we'll die- _you don't know that_ -he does though- _than touch him_ -he doesn't want too- _do it, or everyone will die_." Noir turned back to David.

"Noir, you okay?" David asked her.

"The demon will help, but we need to see the future. You're future to see if we will survive." Noir told David. David sighed and reluctantly held out his arm.

"Do it." David offered. Noir hesitated and looked at David's arm, and touched it.

All David saw was purple. Noir saw David's future.

* * *

 _Eva looked down at the foot of her hospital bed, paled skin and helpless while a nurse removed the IV bag from her. The door opened and David entered, Eva noticing the limp as he entered. David turned to the nurse. "Would you excuse us, please?" The nurse nodded and walked out of the room with the IV tower as David walked to the foot of the bed, next to the blinds which were partially opened, the windows covered in rain and thunder outside. The lights were off so the room was dark. Eva looked at David, revealing the bandage over her throat. "I'm Doctor Gordon." David introduced himself._

 _"It's good to meet you." Eva murmured, lacking emotion. David looked away for a moment and coughed, looking back at her._

 _"You're an idiot." David told her, Eva just looked away. "You have a tapeworm in your brain. It's not pleasant, but if we don't do anything, you'll be dead by the weekend."_

 _"Have you actually seen the worm?" Eva asked._

 _"When you're all better, I'll show you my diplomas." David deflected the question._

 _"You were sure I had vasculitus too." She reminded him. "Now I can't walk and I'm wearing a diaper. What's this treatment going to do for me?"_

 _"I'm not talking about a treatment, I'm taking about a cure." He corrected Eva. "But because I might be wrong, you want to die." Eva glanced at David's right hand, which was pure metallic black._

 _"What happened to your hand?" Eva asked._

 _"Lost it in a bar bet." David lied. She noticed the cane David was holding in his left hand._

 _"What made you a cripple?" Eva asked him. David sighed, trying to think of some excuse._

 _"I poisoned a leg muscle. Caused an infarction." David answered truthfully._

 _"Like a heart attack?" Eva compared._

 _"It's what happens when the blood flow is obstructed." David explained. "If it's the heart, it's a heart attack. If it's in the lungs, it's a pulmonary embolism. If it's in the brain, it's a stroke. I had it in my calf muscle."_

 _"Wasn't there something they could do?" The patient asked him._

 _"There was plenty they could do, if they made the right diagnosis, but the only symptom was pain." David elaborated as Eva listened intently. "Not many people get to experience muscle death."_

 _"Did you think you were dying?"_

 _"I hoped I was dying."_

 _"So you hide in your office, refuse to see patients because you don't like the way people look at you." Eva figured out. "You feel cheated by life so now you're gonna get even with the world. You want me to fight this. Why?" Eva asked. "What makes you think I'm so much better than you?"_

 _"When you're scared, you'll turn to me." David told Eva._

 _"I just want to die with a little dignity." Eva admitted, tears coming to her eyes._

 _"There's no such thing!" David yelled, leaning closer to her as she glanced away. "Our bodies break down, sometimes when we're 90, sometimes before we're even born, but it always happens and there's never any dignity in it. I don't care if you can walk, see, wipe your own ass. It's always ugly. Always. Ugly." Eva turned away, tears streaming down her face. "You can live with dignity, we can't die with it."_

 _Eva turned back, cheeks wet from tears and glared at David, who remained undeterred._

* * *

"Noir. Noir! Noir, can you hear me?" David asked as the petite girl held onto is arm, breathing heavily as purple veins came from her eyes.

* * *

 _David and Alex opened a set of double doors, continuing down the hallway._

 _"You made it a week." Alex told him, surprised._

 _"And won my prize." David added, with a hint of cockiness._

 _"Congratulations." Alex said sarcastically._

 _"Miranda's a sucker. I would have done it for two weeks off." David told Alex._

 _"Yeah, it was a piece of cake." Alex muttered with a tired sigh as they reached David's office. "You learn anything?" David stopped with his metal hand on the door handle._

 _"I'm an addict." He admitted, pulling open the door and entering his office, Alex following him in just before the door closed._

 _"Uh...okay." Alex said slowly, unsure what to say. David walked behind his desk and took a letter out of his coat pocket._

 _"I'm not stopping." David told Alex._

 _"There are programmes. Miranda would give you the time." Alex suggested. "You could get on a different pain management regimen-"_

 _"I don't need to stop." David cut him off._

 _"You just said..."_

 _"I said I was an addict." David cut him off again. "I didn't say I had a problem. I pay my bills, I make my meals. I function."_

 _"Is that all you want?" Alex asked him. "You have no relationships."_

 _"That's a lie and you know it." David said coldly._

 _"Not officially, you do." Alex reminded._

 _"We both know it has to stay that way." David told Alex._

 _"You alienate people." Alex added._

 _"I've been alienating people since before I arrived at Cydonia." David reasoned._

 _"Oh, come on! Drop it!" Alex shut him up. "You don't think you've changed in the last few years?"_

 _"Well, of course I have. I've gotten older. My hairs gotten thinner and greyer. Sometimes I'm bored, sometimes I'm lonely, sometimes I wonder what it all means." David explained._

 _"No, I was there!" Alex interjected. "You're not just a regular guy who's getting older, you've changed! You're miserable, and you're afraid of yourself-"_

 _ **SLAM!**_

 _"Of course I've changed!" David yelled, slamming his metal fist on a shelf, making a fist-sized hole._

 _"And everything's te leg?" Alex asked after a brief pause. "Nothing's the pills? They haven't done a thing to you?"_

 _"They let me do my job, and they take away my pain." David told Alex, removing his metal fist from the shelf. "They let me function." With that, Alex exited David's office, defeated, while David sat down at his desk, rubbing his left calf._

* * *

Noir let go of his arm, slowly backing away. David leant down a little to her eye height. "Noir, what did you see?"

"You're future...it's so dark, so horrible...you're going to become cold, heartless, but you will save people by dong that. You will stop the grymm and save Cydonia." Noir told him.

"So will you help us?" Vanessa asked, entering the cell.

"It is our destiny."

* * *

Darren swung his tomahawks downwards, Anna leaning backwards to avoid them and leapt back, lunging at Darren. He moved back and hooked his right tomahawk on the katana, loosening it from Anna's grip and causing her to release it as it fell to the ground. Darren knelt down and tripped Anna up as she skidded along the floor, stopping a few feet away. "I expected an Inhuman to fight better. You're not even a challenge." Darren taunted. Anna groaned as she got to her feet, picking up her katana and holding it defensively.

"Why are you doing this? You're just going to kill innocents for nothing?" Anna asked.

"Orders are orders. Especially when your superior was supposed to kill you years ago, take out your eyes to see if you could see without them." Darren told her.

"Adam. Your with The White Fang." Anna figured out.

"In today's life, every faunus is in the White Fang. You just don't know it yet." Darren charged forwards, swinging both tomahawks at Anna while she expertly dodged them or hit them away with her katana. She ducked under a swing and kicked him in the chest, slamming him into the wall and stabbed the katana in the wall, catching on his shirt but missing him. "Missed." He head-butted her and kicked her away. He pulled forward but was still caught on the katana, he crossed the blades of the tomahawks and sliced the handle off the katana, pulling off it. He flipped forwards and used the momentum to throw a katana at Anna, who barely dodged it, only to be flipped kicked across the room, the air knocked out of her lungs. She winced as she felt the pain in her infected arm.

"And Reginald said Inhumans were superior to humans and faunus, that we'd never stand a chance." Darren taunted to Anna as he approached her, who still lay on the ground, clutching her arm. "Pathetic." He swung his remaining tomahawk and sliced her stomach, causing a deep cut as blood began to spill out.

* * *

David, Vanessa and Noir ran to the most damaged part of the wall, the metal wall almost collapsing under the weight of the grymm.

"Alright, concentrate, we don't want to accidentally rip the wall from the ground. Just bend it back into place. Got it?" David asked.

"Yes." Noir answered as purple veins started to come from her eyes.

"I'm ready." Vanessa assured, and the three of them focused their aura and semblances, holding out their arms as the metal wall began to move away from them and bend back into their original position, the grymm being forcefully pushed back.

"Keep pushing it back!" David yelled, the three of them focusing their combined telekinesis more, the metal walls bending further until they went back to completely up. The walls bent back into shape around the perimeter of the community until eventually, the walls were back up. They lowered their arms, relieves that the walls will stay up.

"Thank god." Vanessa muttered, relieved.

"Anna!" Noir yelled. "You have to save her! She'll die!"

"What!? Where?" David demanded.

"The tower! The tower!" Noir pointed towards the tower as David sprinted towards where Anna was.

* * *

"Please...stop..." Anna begged as she held onto her bleeding stomach, Darren strutting towards her.

"If you could have just waited, you're death could have been quick and painless." Darren told her with a tired sigh. "I guess you'll have to settle for this." Darren held out his right hand, a small black portal appearing on the palm of his hand. Across the room, a black portal began to expand, slowly pulling Anna in.

"No, please!" Anna grasped at the floor, but there was nothing to hold onto.

"Oh, don't worry, this is a way for me to kill you...'kindly'. You'll age inside the portal, and I will use your life force to strengthen myself until you die." Darren told her as slowly walked forward towards Anna, who desperately grabbed for anything to slow herself down. "And your child, I can use an entire lifespan to strengthen myself, I've never tried that before. You can live well knowing that you died for science."

"Please, I'm begging you!" Anna yelled helplessly. "Don't let me die."

"Sorry, as I said." Darren told her tauntingly. "Orders are order-" Darren chocked, looking down to see a blue energy sabre pierce his chest, directly through his spine. David kicked Darren off his lightsabre, who collapsed to the floor, choking on his own blood. The black portal sealed shut right before Anna hit it, who sighed in relief. David stepped over Darren, blood spilling out of his mouth as he gagged for air. David thrusted his lightsabre down, piercing Darren's left eye, killing him.

"Asshole." David pulled out the lightsabre, deactivating it and sheathing it.

"David..." Anna whispered, reaching out to him. David ran over, kneeling next to her. She breathed heavily, trying to suppress the pain as tears came to her eyes. "The baby..."

"Anna, they baby is fine, there is no way he cut deep enough. I promise." David assured her as she sniffled to keep her tears from escaping. "Let me see." Anna nodded, moving her hand away to show him the wound. "Doc can fix that. Do you know where Alex and Joshua are?"

"Joshua's dead. Darren killed him. Alex's over there, he's been shot." She gestured to the corner of the room.

"Come on, I'm getting both of you out of here." David helped Anna to her feet as she cried in pain. He lifted her arm around the back of his neck and they both moved over to Alex. "You still alive?"

"Barely, but I'll live." Alex told him.

"Damn, though I'd finally gotten rid of you." David joked, holding out a hand.

"Screw you." Alex took the hand, getting up.

"Hey, where's CC?" David asked him.

"Uhh..." Alex thought.

" **Oh, I was busy with the tower. Did I miss something?** " CC asked as he floated down to their height from the roof.

"Anything you can do about this?" Alex asked, looking at his stomach.

" **Don't move.** " CC ordered, and glowed bright red. A red laser fired from the centre of the front square and hit him in the stomach, Alex trying as hard as he could to yell in pain to move. After a few seconds, CC dimmed and the laser went away. " **I cauterized the wound, you should be able to walk on your own if you man up a little.** "

"I hate you." Alex told the AI.

" **I do not require your friendship to function properly. I am perfectly capable of doing my directives without human assistance. Now, I need to finish the work with the tower.** " CC went to fly off, but a loud alarm went off through the tower, the monitors flashing red.

"What's going on?" Anna asked.

" **The signal in the tower has been flipped, it's drawing the grymm towards us. Your lightsabre caused a signal and the tower replicated it. Darren planned this to happen.** " CC told them. Outside, they heard the walls creaking and bending. David picked Anna up bridal style and ran to the door, Alex just behind as they saw the walls collapsing, the grymm storming into Cydonia. The citizens were screaming as they ran to their homes, but the grymm grabbed many of them, tearing them apart limb from limb. David looked down at the helpless citizens, horrified at the people being torn apart before his eyes.

"David, what do we do?" Anna asked. David looked at the army of grymm, heading towards them.

"I don't know."

* * *

 _There'll be no rest_  
 _There'll be no love_  
 _There'll be no hero in the end,_  
 _Who will rise above_

* * *

 **Replies to Reviews**

 **Ou0: Hmm, I wonder if those walls will hold, and if they can deal with the grymm, especially since there are certainly too many to deal with at once. I guess they'll just have to look to the** ** _Sky_** **for answers. Also, I didn't specifically state it, but all the OC's who went to Vale for the Vytal Festival returned to Cydonia as planned, except David who had to postpone die to his injury. Alexander and Vanessa were back before David was, they had been back for two weeks along with the other OC's. Thanks for reviewing!**

* * *

 **And there we go, the walls are down, the grymm are killing people. How will David stop the grymm and save Cydonia? Or, more importantly, _CAN_ David stop the grymm and save Cydonia? Only time will tell...**

 **Just a note, I have created a wikia based on this universe that you can use to find out about the characters, locations and most importantly, physical appearances.**

 **The website is:** **the-xiao-long-chronicles .wikia wiki/ Main_Page**

 **And remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter eleven!**


	11. Fall

_**Song from Previous Chapter**_

 _ **"When it Falls"**_

 _ **Artist - Jeff & Casey Lee Williams**_

* * *

 _When we've lost all hope,  
And succumb to fear,  
And the skies rain blood,  
And the end draws near..._

* * *

" **Hmm...hmm,hmm,hmm...** " CC hummed to himself as he flew over the grymm towards the tower and entered said tower. He flew up the central column and fired a small red laser at a monitor, the flashing red ceasing briefly, but continued. " **That's not right.** " CC fired a stronger laser at the monitor, the red flashing continued. " **That definitely isn't right.** "

CC hovered back and fired a laser, destroying the concrete pillar and exposed the wires within. He moved closer and fired a weaker beam, destroying a couple of wires, but the monitors continued flashing red. " **Darren, what did you do?** " CC hovered back again and fired the stronger laser, tearing through all of the wired and through to the other side of the pillar. The monitors still flashed red. " **That shouldn't be possible. This shouldn't happen, the tower should have** **stopped.** "

" **I can't stop this.** "

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN**

* * *

 **DAY 49**

* * *

CC went to fly off, but a loud alarm went off through the tower, the monitors flashing red.

"What's going on?" Anna asked.

" **The signal in the tower has been flipped, it's drawing the grymm towards us. Your lightsabre caused a signal and the tower replicated it. Darren planned this to happen.** " CC told them. Outside, they heard the walls creaking and bending. David picked Anna up bridal style and ran to the door, Alex just behind as they saw the walls collapsing, the grymm storming into Cydonia. The citizens were screaming as they ran to their homes, but the grymm grabbed many of them, tearing them apart limb from limb. David looked down at the helpless citizens, horrified at the people being torn apart before his eyes.

"David, what do we do?" Anna asked. David looked at the army of grymm, heading towards them.

"I don't know." David whispered, grymm beginning to climb up towards them. He looked around desperately, thinking of anything for a shot of survival, and felt the lightsabre attached to his belt. Carefully, he put Anna down so she stood on her own and held the lightsabre. "I know what to do."

"What?" Alex asked.

"The grymm are attracted to the lightsabre when it's activated. I'll draw them away while you get yourself and Anna to the hospital, and lock the doors. Once you're both fixed up, figure out a way to get the grymm out of Cydonia, or run." David ordered them.

"No, that's suicide." Anna objected. "There are hundreds of grymm out there, and you want them to chase you while we run?"

"I will come back, but once I've drawn them away, I need to find Vanessa and Noir, they're still out there." David told them as they grymm got close to them. "Now go, while we still have a chance." Before David could go, Anna hugged him tightly, giving him a quick kiss.

"I'll see you soon." Anna told him, letting go. David activated his lightsabre, the grymm growling louder and stumbled towards him.

"I know." David ran away from Anna, Alex and CC, the majority of the grymm following him.

"Now we just need to get from here to the hospital." Alex reminded, looking at the hospital on the other side of Cydonia, a substantial amount of grymm between them.

" **Alexander, I have plotted a route to the hospital which will avoid the most grymm and the highest success rate of reaching our destination. I recommend using your daggers to increase our success rate.** " CC told them both.

"I never would have thought of that. Thanks." Alex said sarcastically, and took out his daggers. "Lead the way." CC flew ahead of them while Alex trailed behind, keeping an eye on Anna as she followed behind the two of them.

* * *

John fired his assault rifle down at the grymm entering the community, splattering blood all over the ground as their bodies slumped and fell, dead again. He held onto the railing on the tower as the grymm began to push and shake the tower. John reloaded and fired downwards at the grymm, splattering guts over the support beams and floor as more and more grymm moved towards him. "Damn it." He muttered, reloading again.

"That ain't gonna work." John turned to see Indiana and Kiley crawling up the tower on the opposite side he was shooting from. They climbed into the tower, holding their weapons. "Gunfire attracts them, you'd get overwhelmed."

"If it's drawing them to us, others can get away. I'm just low on ammo." John explained.

"The don't spray and prey." Indiana told him, handing him a few more clips of ammunition.

"Short controlled bursts, more effective kills while still drawing them away. One person can't do that effectively, but we can help." Kiley cocked her sniper rifle to emphasise.

"The let's kill some grymm." The three of them took different sides of the tower and shot down, killing more grymm and attracting more.

* * *

David sliced another grymm head off, kicking it's body back and knocking down a couple more grymm. "Vanessa!" David called out, backing away from a grymm and sliced the grymm down the middle, splitting it in half. "Noir!" Another grymm lunged at David, who sliced it's head in half across the eyes and telekinetically pushed it back, along with a dozen more. "Vanessa!"

"David!" Vanessa called out, firing her revolver that pierced through several grymm skulls. "Where's Anna? Alex?"

"They're heading to the hospital." David answered, tripping over a grymm and stabbing it through the eye. "Where's Noir?"

"Don't know. She took off, kept taking about the sky." Vanessa told him, throwing one of her knifes at a grymm, pulling it back telekinetically.

"It's too dangerous to go find her, she'll be fine on her own." David assured, deactivating his lightsabre.

"We need to get to the hospital." Vanessa told him.

"Right, but first, we need to go to the blacksmith, got to pick something up. Come on." David began running to the blacksmith, Vanessa following just behind her.

* * *

"Get in!" Emily yelled as Alex, Anna and CC entered the hospital, Alex helping her to move a table in front of the door as the grymm pressed up against it. She entered the next room where Doc wrapped bandages around Anna's stomach, CC floating nearby. "What is that thing?"

" **I'd prefer not be referred to as a 'thing', I'm an Artificial Intelligence, or an AI, called Crimson Cube, or CC-** "

"CC. Shut up." Alex cut him off, annoyed.

" **Shisno.** " CC muttered.

"Alright, you're all fixed up." Doc told Anna, who pulled down her vest and got to her feet.

"We need to go get David." Anna told them.

"You're in no condition to even move. It's a miracle you're on your feet at all. I'm sorry, but you can't even leave this room." Doc informed her.

"I'm fine." Anna assured, and reached for a katana, only to realise they were gone. "Fuck."

"Anna, I hate to admit it, but he's right. You're stomach just got sliced open, you can't go out there. I'll go." Alex told her.

"And you're not going either, Alex. You've been shot, you could tear open your wound." Doc told him.

" **If you're all done arguing, I would actually like to leave and go reverse the towers signal to force the grymm away and save everyone in Cydonia. If you're not too busy.** " CC spoke up.

"That's it. I can't stand you anymore. Go." Alex pointed to the door, CC hovering away and exited the hospital. "Thank god. He's such a pain."

* * *

David hopped over the counter in the blacksmith, Vanessa following just behind, kicking a grymm back. She took out a knife and stabbed another, kicking it back and entered the blacksmith, slamming the door shut. "Great, now we're trapped. Any more bright ideas?" Vanessa asked David sarcastically.

"We can't draw the grymm away, so we're going to fight them. Anna has no weapon, I asked William to make one, and he has. Where is he, by the way?" David asked her.

"One second." Vanessa started searching the building, opening the back closet to find it empty. She walked up the stairs and opened the door, and gasped in shock. In the corner of the room, a grymm ripped out Williams stomach and was eating a chunk of meat, oblivious to the human behind it. Vanessa took out a knife and stabbed it in the side of the head, throwing the body aside. She looked down at his blood soaked hands, which held onto a sharp, freshly made katana. Cautiously, she took the weapon from his grip, holding it in her left hand and stabbed William in the head with a knife with her right hand. Vanessa attached the knife to her belt and walked down the stairs.

"What'd you find?" David asked, opening another draw. He pulled out a sheath, but lacked the katana.

"William's dead. He tried to make a stand, but he must have got overpowered." Vanessa explained, and held out the katana. David looked at it briefly and took it. "We got what we came for. Now what?"

"Now, we regroup at the hospital and deal with these monsters. Then, I don't know yet. Let's focus on the now." David stated, taking out a dagger and holding it in his right hand, holding the katana backwards in the left. He ran up to the door and kicked it open, knocking back a few grymm. Vanessa raised her arms and lunged them forward, all 16 daggers flew ahead and killed a dozen grymm, returning to her. They took the opportunity and ran out of the blacksmith.

* * *

" **Hmm...hmm,hmm,hmm...** " CC hummed to himself as he flew over the grymm towards the tower and entered said tower. He flew up the central column and fired a small red laser at a monitor, the flashing red ceasing briefly, but continued. " **That's not right.** " CC fired a stronger laser at the monitor, the red flashing continued. " **That definitely isn't right.** "

CC hovered back and fired a laser, destroying the concrete pillar and exposed the wires within. He moved closer and fired a weaker beam, destroying a couple of wires, but the monitors continued flashing red. " **Darren, what did you do?** " CC hovered back again and fired the stronger laser, tearing through all of the wired and through to the other side of the pillar. The monitors still flashed red. " **That shouldn't be possible. This shouldn't happen, the tower should have stopped.** "

" **I can't stop this.** "

* * *

"He's coming!" Anna yelled, looking out the window. "We need to open those doors." Anna ran towards the door and started pushing the table out of the way, moving it away from the door before Alex could get the chance to help and opened it, David and Vanessa running in. David held out his hand, moving the table back, along with several other heavy items to keep the doors shut.

"Anna, are you okay?" David asked. Anna answered by kissing him, hugging him tightly. "Right, that's a yes. What about you Alex, and don't answer with a kiss."

"I'm good." Alex told him. "Now that we're all here, what now?"

"Whatever CC has tried to do didn't work." Anna told them. "He would have done something by now."

"We fight the grymm, force them back." David told them.

"Just four of us? Against hundreds of them?" Vanessa asked, unsure.

"They're slow, we can beat them. Anna this is yours." David held out the katana and sheath, Anna accepting them. She strapped the sheath to her back, and sheathed the katana. "I asked William to make this, it was the last thing he made before he died."

"I'll make sure not to waste it." Anna said with a smile.

"So, we're really doing this?" Alex asked.

"What other choice do we have? Run? Hide? Wait it out?" Vanessa asked. "We have to fight."

"And we will." Anna agreed.

"Alright, let's go kill some grymm." David told them, and telekinetically moved the objects away from the door, kicking it open and activated his lightsabre. Anna unsheathed her katana and spun it forward. Vanessa raised her arms, all her knifes floating above her and Alex unsheathed his knifes, holding them in a ready stance. The grymm turned to them and started approaching them.

 _ **THUMP!**_

The ground shook, knocking David, Anna, Alex and Vanessa back and almost off their feet.

 _ **THUMP!**_

Another shake, Vanessa tripped and fell to the ground.

 _ **CRACK!**_

The floor just ahead of them exploded upwards, Sky jumped out of the hole and landed on the ground just ahead of them.

"Sky?" David asked. She ignored him and gritted her teeth angrily. She fell to her knees and slammed her fists onto the ground.

 _ **THUMP!**_

All of the grymm's legs snapped, the living dead bodies falling to the ground as they crawled towards them. Sky slammed her fists on the ground again.

 _ **THUMP!**_

The grymm's bodies crippled against the ground, bones smashing and flash getting ripped apart. Sky yelled angrily and slammed her fists on the ground again.

 _ **THUMP!**_

The grymm crushed against the ground, dead.

Cydonia was safe again.

"I don't believe it. They're dead." Alex muttered, shocked.

"Yeah, she did it." David said, equally surprised. "Why is she even out here?"

"I saw the future." Noir spoke up, walking towards them. "She is the one who saves Cydonia, not any of you. You would have all died."

"Alex, get Sky into the hospital, what she just did could have done a number on her. I'm going to find Linda." David told them, running towards the castle.

* * *

Indiana groaned as he got up from the floor of the tower, having being knocked down due to seismic quakes, and not knowing what it was. He got up and turned to Kiley, who was getting up slowly, and over at John, who was looking out of the tower, surprised expression on his face. "What is it?" Indiana asked.

"They're dead." John answered quietly. "All of them. They're dead." Indiana walked over to the edge of the tower, Kiley joining them as they looked down at the hundreds of squished dead bodies on the ground, blood staining the floor as far as they could see.

"What could have done this?" Kiley asked.

"Someone, or something, with great power. Whatever it is, it just saved Cydonia." Indiana told them.

* * *

David opened the doors into the throne room, walking across the large room to find Linda sitting at the base of the throne, crying. He approached her and knelt down, sitting next to her.

"I'm a failure." Linda muttered. "So many people, they've died because I can't protect them."

"You know that's a lie, there is nothing any of us could do. Hell, I couldn't do anything, and all I could do is run." David told her. "The grymm are all dead."

"Who killed them?" Linda asked, wiping her eyes.

"Sky. She busted up through the ground and altered their gravity, crushed them all to piles of bones. Seems that she did the right thing." David explained.

"Sky, she shouldn't have even been here. When Miranda told me and Lexus about her, I wanted to let her go, she's just a scared kid. But, if she wasn't here, she couldn't have saved us." Linda told him. "I can't lead these people."

"You don't really have a choice. We all have to do things we don't want to do." David said to Linda.

"What do you do, that you don't want to do?" Linda asked.

"I don't want people to trust me." David told her. "When people trust me, it puts more pressure on me to keep them safe. Today, I don't know how many people have died, but I know that Joshua died because he was murdered by Darren, I didn't even suspect him. "

"Nobody suspected him. It wasn't your fault." Linda defended him. "Alexander is one of the best people in Cydonia, and I trusted him with being the scout because he can read people and judge whether or not they should come here. Alex and Darren were partners, and Alex saw nothing, had no idea what Darren really was. David, I can't fight, I'm too old and I've never trained to be a hunter. You, you can fight, that's why I made you the constable. I trust you, and so do your friends."

"Thanks." David thanked. "You need to talk to the people, let them know they're still safe, that we can recover from this." Linda thought about it for a moment, and smiled a little.

"You're right." She got to her feet. "It's about the people. Come on." David got up and followed her out.

* * *

A few hundred citizens of Cydonia all sat around outside the castle, all doing various jobs. Alex and Indiana picked up another grymm body, carrying it over to a large pile of other grymm bodies and threw the body onto the pile. Anna paced along the grymm bodies, stabbing any in the head that may have survived. Vanessa and Xander were helping those who had been injured and Kiley was on lookout for any grymm that may enter the community. Alex sighed tiredly as they walked over to another body. "Fifty down, five hundred or so to go..." He complained.

"Hey, you wanted to help move these bodies, don't complain for something you wanted to do." Indiana told him, rolling him metal arm.

"Well, I've got to do something, sitting around isn't going to do anything." Alex muttered. "And, you know, David took off."

"And I'm back." David said, shocking Alex.

"Whoa, where did you come from?" Alex asked.

"I was nearby, listening to you complain about moving bodies. Sometimes, you just have to use your skills to help." David said, raising an arm and lifting some bodies, moving them over to the pile.

"Show-off." Alex muttered annoyingly. Anna walked over to them, flicking her katana, blood flying off it and onto the floor.

"We're all clear, no grymm left." Anna assured.

"That's a relief. Feeling better?" David asked her.

"I'm good, stomach doesn't hurt that much anymore." Anna answered, sheathing her katana. "I'm just glad we're all okay."

"Yeah." David agreed, pulling her into a small hug, kissing her on the head.

"Everybody, may I have your attention please." Linda spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "As you are aware, today we have suffered great losses at the hands of the grymm. They broke down the walls that we all believed would keep us safe, but they didn't, because someone who has been living among us sabotaged the tower to draw in more grymm. Darren Hunter, one of our scouts, changed the tower's frequency to draw in more grymm. He killed Joshua Wayne and severely hurt Anna Kyle and Alexander MacFarlane, and killed many more, but he's dead now."

"He was sent by the White Fang." Anna told her. "Adam Taurus sent him to destroy Cydonia."

"Darren was killed by David Xiao Long. He managed to save his friends and help save Cydonia, but he wasn't the one who did. There is a young woman, Sky Breaker, who none of you have heard of. King Taub saw fit to lock her in a prison behind the castle because he believed she was dangerous, but she saved us all. And for that, we owe her our lives." Linda stopped briefly, looking at the citizens of Cydonia, all with scared expressions, still unsure whether they were safe.

"I can assure you all, we will not make these mistakes again. The walls, they'll be stronger, more supported, they won't fall down as long as we stand together. We'll recover from this tragic day for a new tomorrow, and we will all survive. We will all be safe." Linda finished as the crowd cheered in agreement.

* * *

David groaned as he collapsed onto one of the sofa's in his house, lying on his back as he rubbing his eyes tiredly. He would have easily drifted off to sleep right there, had he not been woken up by a weight on his chest. He looked to see Anna straddling his chest, she leant down and he hugged her closer.

"Hey, what's going on out there?" David asked.

"Some guys are setting up temporary walls while John and Kiley stay on lookout during the night. You could go and help them." Anna suggested. David groaned.

"No, I'm too tired." David said annoyingly. "It's been a long day for us. All of us. Heck, we both almost died again."

"I guess we've got a death wish." Anna joked. They remained in content silence for a moment until David spoke up.

"How's the baby?" He asked.

"Doc said that the cut won't have been deep enough to hurt her, and that there won't be any permanent damage in the future." Anna told him.

"I'm sorry, 'her'? You mean 'him'." David corrected her.

"Nope. It'll be a girl." Anna disagreed.

"Boy."

"Girl."

"Fine, if it's a girl, I get to name it." David relented.

"Agreed, but if it's a boy, I get to name it." Anna said with a smirk.

"Fine." David said begrudgingly. Anna laughed a little and leant down, kissing him. They kissed for a while longer until they both needed to breath.

"I love you." Anna told him, snuggling next to him.

"I know." David knew, and both passed out from exhaustion.

* * *

 _I may fall! But not like this – it won't be by your hand,  
_ _I may fall! Not this place – not today,  
_ _I may fall! Bring it all – it's not enough to take me down,  
_ _I may fall!_

* * *

 **So, that was a thing. Cydonia is now safe from the grymm and will now rebuild. David and Anna's relationship remain strong with their baby on the way and the citizens of Cydonia have new found hope of survival. Will it last? Will they all survive? Will they stop the grymm?**

 **And will their baby be a boy or girl?**

 **Only time will tell...**

 **Just a note, I have created a wikia based on this universe that you can use to find out about the characters, locations and most importantly, physical appearances.**

 **The website is:** **the-xiao-long-chronicles .wikia wiki/ Main_Page**

 **And remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter twelve!**


	12. Half-Life Part 1

_**Song from Previous Chapter**_

 _ **"I May Fall"**_

 _ **Artist - Jeff & Casey Lee Williams**_

* * *

 _In love in need,  
In want in miss,_  
 _I taste your bite,  
I taste your kiss,_

* * *

Indiana walked through the woods, humming to himself, holding his weapon in his hands as he continued searching for people. After several hours and miles of walking in the forest, he had yet to find hints of anyone out in the forest, besides finding a couple of dead grymm with knife piercing in their skulls. He raised his assault rifle and aimed it at a group of bushes. "Anyone there, come out now." Indiana ordered. Out of the bushes, a couple of grymm stumbled out, growling and reaching for him. "Great, more grymm." Indiana sighed, grabbing the first grymm by the neck, and stabbed the second one with the bladed end of his rifle. He took out the blade and stabbed the first one on the head. He checked the time. "That's it, day is a day."

A grymm behind him grabbed Indiana, reaching at his neck and opened it's mouth, but was pulled back. Indiana turned around and fired several shots in the grymm's head, killing it. He narrowed his eyes and picked up the body, moving it aside, and jumped back, horrified. A small, blonde girl lay underneath where the grymm was, covered in the blood of the grymm and dirt that had dried over a long period of time. She groaned and got up, looking at the bullet holes in her shirt.

"Oh no, I can't fix that." She pouted, and turned to Indiana. "Uhh...hi."

"How...how are you...not dead. I shot you." Indiana told the girl, shocked. _She looks...familiar..._

"Bullets are meant to hurt you? I think they tickle." She told him.

"...How long have you been out here?" Indiana asked her.

"About...19 weeks, I think. I lost count after a couple of months." The girl told him. Indiana was absolutely shocked by this.

"You need to come with me. I live in a community, it has walls, homes, it can keep you safe." Indiana told her, and held out his cybernetic hand. "I'm Indiana." She looked at his hand and shook it.

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER TWELVE**

* * *

 **DAY 142**

* * *

Three months had passed since Cydonia was breached by the grymm and was almost completely overrun, but was cleansed and saved. Sky had used her semblance of altering gravity to crush the grymm while keeping the buildings and citizens unaffected, but after three months, is still comatose. The walls were rebuilt and supported per David's recommendation: adding a second layer and filling the gap with dirt for additional support. In the 93 days since the breach of Cydonia, nobody had died and people were reassigned different jobs.

David remained constable and still upholds the law in Cydonia, ensuring that the peace remains inside the walls. Alex stepped down as the scout and joined Anna as supply runners no abandoned towns and camps around the area. Indiana took over the scout position and occasionally does blacksmith duties and Kiley stays in Cydonia as the lookout at the gate, interchanging with John. Crimson Cube runs the lab and continues to attempt a cure for the grymm infection. Linda runs Cydonia with assistance from David and Miranda while Lexus continues to rot in prison.

It was peaceful.

* * *

David slowly opened his eyes, the light from the open window shining into the room, barely missing his eyes. He glanced over at the clock and saw it was only 7 in the morning, and that he didn't need to be up for half a hour. David leant back on the bed, taking a deep breath as he considered going back to sleep, but the door opening caught his attention. Anna entered the room, hair wet and clinging to the back of her neck with a white towel wrapped around her body.

"Hey Anna." David said tiredly. "You're up early."

"Yeah, me and Alex are going on that run at 8, best I get up earlier to get ready." Anna told him, sitting down on the bed, lying back so she lay next to David.

"If you want, I can take over this run." David offered. Anna sighed.

"You don't want me in any danger, do you?" She asked him.

"Your grymm infection is getting better, but your getting sicker from our baby. I don't really want either of you at risk." David told her worryingly.

"David, I appreciate your concern, but you trust me, right?" Anna asked.

"Of course I do. But, hell, I can't help being concerned. I don't want to risk losing the woman I love." David said, Anna blushing a little.

"David, trust me." She took his hand, putting it on her stomach. "We're both going to be fine."

"Okay." David said, and leant forward, both of them kissing each other. "But, if you get hurt, and it's Alex's fault, I'm going to kill Alex." David joked.

"Nah, he's too kind to do that." Anna said, leaning and getting up off the bed. He opened a draw and took out her clothes, removing her towel and started getting dressed. As David looked over her body, he saw the small bump on her stomach. Everyone else who had been asked couldn't feel or see it, only David and Anna could sense it. They guessed it was special to them. "Like what you see~?" Anna asked with a smirk, David not realising he was staring.

"Oh, uh, well, yeah. I was just thinking about our baby, I just can't believe we're both going to be parents." David told Anna as she pulled up her trousers, buttoning them.

"Yeah, it's such a big step." Anna agreed, putting on her vest. "Have you got your suit for tonight?"

"Yeah. You got your dress?" David asked her.

"You'll have to wait and see." She teased, putting on her boots, getting up and grabbing her jacket and sheathed katana. "You getting up now?"

"Might as well." David told her, getting up and ready for his day.

* * *

Alex and Vanessa walked along the snow covered path in the middle of Cydonia, watching the construction around them. Several large gazebo's were set up in the centre of the community making the border of a square, the centre set up as a dance floor. Food and drinks were being set out for the night festivities.

"The planning is going well." Alex noted absentmindedly.

"Yeah, well, with Linda doing the planning instead of Lexus, I imagine it will be more...emotional? Romantic?" Vanessa guessed. "Matter of fact is, this will be the best one ever."

"I'll admit, I've never really been a fan of dancing." Alex admitted.

"You _can_ dance though, right?" Vanessa asked him.

"Of course I can. Who at our age can't dance?" Alex asked rhetorically.

"Nobody. So, have you got your suit?" Vanessa asked as they approached the gate.

"Of course I do. You got a dress?" Alex asked her.

"I have a beautiful dress, it'll definitely draw people's attention." Vanessa assured. They reached the gate, David and Anna waiting for them with a silver sedan at the gate. David was wearing a light brown shirt with a golden star stitched onto the right chest, with his jeans and boots, belt and lightsabre attached to the belt. He glanced at his watch, shaking his head annoyingly.

"You're late for your job, Alex. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to take you in." David told Alex seriously.

"Screw you." Alex dismissed him. "Ready to go, Anna?"

"Yep." She answered. She turned and gave David a kiss as Alex got into the drivers seat of the sedan. "I'll see you in a few hours."

"You better." David told her, kissing her again.

"Uhh, time to go!" Alex yelled. David glared at him and pulled away from Anna.

"Stay safe." He finished, Anna walking around the car and entering the passenger seat. David and Vanessa pulled open the chain link layer and the bar layer of the gate, allowing Alex to drive the car out of the community, David and Vanessa closing it again, locking it. Vanessa turned to help with the set up, but noticed David looking through the gate at the car as it drove away.

"Hey, they'll be fine." Vanessa assured him. David sighed, walking away from the gate and walked with Vanessa.

"I know."

* * *

Emily and Doc opened the door to one of the patient rooms of the hospital, looking at the unconscious Sky in bed, Hecate sitting next to her, holding her hand. "Hecate, I'm sorry to bother you, but we need to do Sky's weekly check-up." Emily told her. Hecate, coming to her senses, wiped her eyes and turned to them.

"Oh, yeah, go right ahead." Hecate told them, getting up and moving aside as Doc and Emily approached Sky, checking the machines and taking a sample of blood. "It's been three months, why hasn't she woken up?"

"Unfortunately, we're still unsure why she is stuck in this vegetative state. Giving her the wrong treatment could kill her." Doc told Hecate.

"As long as she's still alive, I don't care." Hecate told them. "She's all I've got." Doc and Emily glanced at each other, thinking what to do.

"Give her 5 milligrams of L-Dopa and Amphetamines, if I'm right, she'll wake right up." David told them, walking into the room.

"We've considered it, but the risks are too high." Doc told him.

"I know the risks, but it fits. Either she'll wake up permanently, or she'll be awake for a few hours, allowing us to find out more about what is wrong with her." David theorised. Doc thought about it for a second and turned to Emily.

"Do it." He ordered her. Hecate looked at David curiously.

"How did you know that?" Hecate asked him.

"I've taken up medicine as a sort of hobby, specialising in pathology and infectious diseases, amongst other things." David explained.

"Trying to figure out if what Anna has is an infection?" Hecate guessed.

"I know she does have an infection, whatever happened to Crane and the other grymm is happening to her, but its just slower. It's just a matter of figuring out exactly what it is." David said and sighed. "It's getting better, she hasn't said anything about the pain in over a month."

"Well, hopefully she'll stay better. If you want, I could help you feel better~" Hecate offered with a wink.

"I have a girlfriend, so do you. You need help, mental help." David deadpanned, shooting Hecate down as she pouted.

"Alright, I've given Sky the L-Dopa and Amphetamines, we'll see soon if she wakes up, but it could take some time." Emily told them. Hecate sat back down next to Sky, taking her hand.

"Sky, you can do this." Hecate whispered, tightening the grip on her hand.

"Let me know if she recovers, I've got to go." David told them, and exited the room.

* * *

"So, what is this festival about?" Anna asked Alex, who was currently focused on the road as he continued driving down it.

"Over a thousand years ago, Cydonia was a kingdom like the four, well, three humanity has now. Magic was used openly until the king banned it due to magic being the cause of the queen's death. However, when he died, the prince became king, and after several years of leadership, allowed magic to be used again. His name was Phoenix Mortem. He, however, died, and the knights of Cydonia held a festival every year to celebrate the day he died in his memory, they called it the 'Festival of Knight'. This year is actually the 1000th anniversary of his death, so it's very special this year." Alex explained to her.

"Magic was real? I thought it was a myth." Anna thought.

"Most of it is a myth, but magic is real. Like the maidens, they use magic, and they're real." Alex told her.

"How do you know all this?" Anna asked.

"Miranda told me, she's pretty knowledgeable about this stuff, and has personally met one or two maidens in the past. But, she could just be messing with me." Alex guessed. "This it is." Alex turned the car to the right and stopped it in front of a supermarket. They both got out of the car, closing the doors and locked the car behind them. They both walked up to the main entrance, the metal shutters still down, preventing them from being able to enter. Anna grabbed the padlock on the ground, keeping the shutters closed, and shook it. It was still locked

"Any idea how we get in?" Anna asked Alex as she got back up. Alex reached into his back pocket and pulled out a dozen keys.

"I've been collecting these for a while, hopefully one of them fits. And if it doesn't...we'll come to that if we have to come to that." Alex finished, sitting down at the lock and trying the first key. Anna sighed and leant against the wall of the shop, sliding down the wall and sitting. Alex turned the first key, but didn't open, so pulled it out and tried a second key. "So...how are you and David doing?"

"Huh? Oh, it's going great!" Anna told him with a smile. "Really great. We were both talking about the baby this morning, how only me and David can see it." She rubbed her stomach, feeling the slight bump. "Can you see it?"

"I still can't see it, it must be some kind of bond the three of you have." Alex told her, trying the third key after the second failed. "You two seem good for each other."

"Thanks." Anna thanked as Alex sighed annoyingly, taking out the key. "Out of the way." Anna got up and unsheathed her katana, and sliced the padlock in half, pulling the lock off and throwing it away. She sheathed her katana and turned to Alex. "Sorry, you were taking too long."

"And your both impatient. Perfect for each other." Alex added, leaning down and lifting up the shutter. He banged on the door a few times and stepped back. "Just give it a minute or two, there might be grymm inside." As if on cue, a couple of dozen grymm stumbled up to the glass and glass door, banging on it, trying to get to Alex and Anna.

"That was easy. You ready?" Anna asked, unsheathing her katana. Alex took out one of his knifes and readied to open the door.

"Ready."

* * *

Kiley patrolled along the wall, approaching the gate as Indiana slung a bag onto his back. She leapt down off the wall and jogged over to him. "You're not going without saying goodbye are you?"

"It's only a few days, at the most. Once I find someone, I'll come back with them. If I don't, I'll come back and go out again and try and find more people." Indiana told her. "It's just a simple scouting job."

"Yeah, not as simple as walking along a wall for eight hours a day." Kiley joked. "Just, come back safe."

"I will." Indiana assured, giving her a quick kiss and opened the gate, exiting the community. Kiley sighed and shut the gate, glanced at Indiana and climbed back up the wall, continuing her patrol.

* * *

Alex stabbed the grymm in the skull, throwing the body on the ground as Anna sliced off the last grymm's head, the body slumping to the ground with a thump.

"All clear." Alex called out, sheathing his knife as Anna did so with her katana. Alex glanced around the inside of the shop. "There's some good stuff here."

"Anything in particular we're looking for?" Anna asked.

"Stuff that can be useful for the festival tonight is preferable, but anything will do. In particular, food that cannot be made in Cydonia, like chocolate." Alex explained.

"Oooh, chocolate, it feels like forever since I've had any." Anna said excitedly, then blushed. "I just said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did." Alex told her, laughing a little. "Why? Got cravings for it?"

"No, no, my current craving is red sap. That sweet, sweet red sap." Anna sighed, thinking about said sweet, and blushed again. "R-Right, let's start looking around." Anna stuttered and quickly walked to the right side of the shop.

Alex walking over to the left side, shaking his head lightly with a smirk. He strolled along one of the aisles, reaching over and picking up a basket, and grabbed a box filled with sweets, putting it in the basket. He grabbed a box of biscuits, and a box of chocolates, putting them both in the basket. Alex stopped and picked up a toy atlesian dropship and chuckled a little. "Oh, Miranda's gonna love this." He put the toy in the basket and continued down the aisle.

Anna leant on the bar of the shopping trolley as she pushed it down another aisle, picking up several packs of dust batteries and tossed them into the trolley, and turned to the next aisle. She stopped when she realised she was in the baby aisle, and smiled a little. Anna walked down the aisle, leaving the trolley behind, and picked up a small pink onesie, and picked up a small light blue onesie, glancing at the two of them. "Better to be safe than sorry." She picked up a couple more of each colour and put them in the trolley.

Alex turned down another aisle and found himself in the electronics aisle. He strolled down the aisle and saw a large, 40" television out on display. "I bet Adele would like this." Alex told himself, and pulled the television, unfortunately underestimating how heavy it was. "Hey Anna,! can I get a hand over here!"

"Kind of busy over here!" Anna yelled, Alex sighing heavily and lifted the TV, almost dropping it as he put it on the floor. He looked over at the door, which was one the other side of the aisle.

"God damn it." Taking a deep breath, Alex pushed the large television along the floor, loud scraping noises against the floor, Alex winced a little as the sound continued until he reached the door, taking a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. He continued pushing, the door being pushed open as he pushed it outside the supermarket, and stopped when he reached the car. "This better be worth it." Alex opened the door and walked in.

"Ah!" Alex pulled his right hand away, a cut along the palm of his hand. "For fuck sake."

Anna looked at a bear plushie and a rabbit plushie, thinking which one would be more suitable. She picked both and put them in the basket. As she went back to the baby aisle, she stopped and saw the pharmacy at the far corner, opting to have a quick look. She hopped over the counter and looked at the many different bottles of medicine, as well as other medical supplies.

"Hey." Anna turned to see Alex, clutching his right hand. "There any bandages back there?"

"Hold on a sec." Anna reached down, pushing aside a few boxes and found a box filled with bandages. "Here." She threw a roll to him, and he started wrapping his hand.

"So, I saw your shopping trolley. Very gender neutral pickings." He noticed, wrapping the bandage around his hand again.

"Me and David are still debating if it'll be a boy or girl. Personally, I hope it's a girl." Anna told him. "But, we still don't know."

"You haven't had an ultrasound?" Alex asked her.

"No, Doc told me they don't actually have one. There aren't any hospitals around here, are there?" Anna asked Alex.

"There are, but they've been cleared out. Any remaining equipment has been damaged or destroyed by looting." Alex explained. "What are you looking for?"

"Just some medicines, but I'm looking for prenatal vitamins, just in case." Anna told him, sorting through the bottles of medicine.

"I'm sure it'll go fine." Alex assured, finishing bandaging his hand.

"You should talk to Miranda about unlocking your aura, then your hand would heal almost immediately." Anna informed Alex.

"Yeah, I don't know. We've had a history, some bad things happened, and she refused to unlock my aura." Alex summarised.

"Want to talk about it?" Anna asked.

"I'm good. I'll ask someone else to unlock my aura." Alex told her.

"Well, it's not me, not David-"

"Why not David? He's my friend." Alex objected.

"He's an inhuman, so am I. It works differently, it might not work, it might go wrong, heck it could kill you. That just leaves Vanessa." Anna deduced.

"Hey, we're great friends, I'm sure she'd be happy to do that." Alex said.

"Well, the dance is later, maybe you could become more than 'great friends'." Anna told Alex.

"I don't think she's into me in that way. Honestly, I'm not sure I am." Alex admitted.

"Well, that's a shame." Anna said, picking up a couple bottles of prenatal vitamins. "Got everything I need. You good?"

"Yep, let's go." Alex told her, walking towards the exit, Anna hopping over the desk and following him out.

* * *

Indiana walked through the woods, humming to himself, holding his weapon in his hands as he continued searching for people. After several hours and miles of walking in the forest, he had yet to find hints of anyone out in the forest, besides finding a couple of dead grymm with knife piercing in their skulls. He raised his assault rifle and aimed it at a group of bushes. "Anyone there, come out now." Indiana ordered. Out of the bushes, a couple of grymm stumbled out, growling and reaching for him. "Great, more grymm." Indiana sighed, grabbing the first grymm by the neck, and stabbed the second one with the bladed end of his rifle. He took out the blade and stabbed the first one on the head. He checked the time. "That's it, day is a day."

A grymm behind him grabbed Indiana, reaching at his neck and opened it's mouth, but was pulled back. Indiana turned around and fired several shots in the grymm's head, killing it. He narrowed his eyes and picked up the body, moving it aside, and jumped back, horrified. A small, blonde girl lay underneath where the grymm was, covered in the blood of the grymm and dirt that had dried over a long period of time. She groaned and got up, looking at the bullet holes in her shirt.

"Oh no, I can't fix that." She pouted, and turned to Indiana. "Uhh...hi."

"How...how are you...not dead. I shot you." Indiana told the girl, shocked. _She looks...familiar..._

"Bullets are meant to hurt you? I think they tickle." She told him.

"...How long have you been out here?" Indiana asked her.

"About...19 weeks, I think. I lost count after a couple of months." The girl told him. Indiana was absolutely shocked by this.

"You need to come with me. I live in a community, it has walls, homes, it can keep you safe." Indiana told her, and held out his cybernetic hand. "I'm Indiana." She looked at his hand and shook it.

"I'm Wanda."

* * *

Alex and Anna lifted the TV onto the top of the car, tying it down. "You're bringing back this TV for Adele, why?"

"I've always said the tavern doesn't have a big enough TV, this will fix that issue." Alex told her.

"And that's the only reason?" Anna asked him, making him sigh in annoyance.

"It's nothing." Alex lied.

"Everybody Lies." Anna told him.

"David says it enough, I don't need his significant other doing the same." Alex told her. "Look, she has a thing for me, and I would't mind exploring options."

"That's good! Why are you afraid to admit that?" Anna asked him, confused.

"Because...I'm not sure what I really think about her." Alex admitted.

"Hey." Anna opened the passenger door. "It'll be alright."

"Thanks." Alex opened the driver door. He stopped and turned to Anna. "Wait, what's that noise?" Across the road, a group of just under a hundred grymm walked towards the supermarket. They couldn't drive back to Cydonia without drawing them, and they couldn't fight them on their own.

"Holy shit."

* * *

 _And I think back_  
 _The things you said_  
 _They make me mad_  
 _A bull to red_

* * *

 **So, that was an abrupt ending. This is because this chapter is actually a two-parter, so the next chapter will focus on the festival itself, Wanda's return and a plot twist to come. What could it possibly be?!**

 **Find out soon...**

 **Just a note, I have created a wikia based on this universe that you can use to find out about the characters, locations and most importantly, physical appearances.**

 **The website is:** **the-xiao-long-chronicles .wikia wiki/ Main_Page**

 **And remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter thirteen!**


	13. Half-Life Part 2

**PREVIOUSLY ON EVERYBODY LIES...**

* * *

Alex and Anna lifted the TV onto the top of the car, tying it down. "You're bringing back this TV for Adele, why?"

"I've always said the tavern doesn't have a big enough TV, this will fix that issue." Alex told her.

"And that's the only reason?" Anna asked him, making him sigh in annoyance.

"It's nothing." Alex lied.

"Everybody Lies." Anna told him.

"David says it enough, I don't need his significant other doing the same." Alex told her. "Look, she has a thing for me, and I would't mind exploring options."

"That's good! Why are you afraid to admit that?" Anna asked him, confused.

"Because...I'm not sure what I really think about her." Alex admitted.

"Hey." Anna opened the passenger door. "It'll be alright."

"Thanks." Alex opened the driver door. He stopped and turned to Anna. "Wait, what's that noise?" Across the road, a group of just under a hundred grymm walked towards the supermarket. They couldn't drive back to Cydonia without drawing them, and they couldn't fight them on their own.

"Holy shit."

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

* * *

 **DAY 142**

* * *

Indiana walked through the forest, holding his weapon loosely in his right cybernetic hand while Wanda walked with him, the two of them in silence. Wanda closed her eyes and yawned loudly.

"How much further is it?" She asked him.

"Still a few more miles, we should get there by dusk." Indiana told her, Wanda groaning in annoyance.

"Don't you have, like, a car or something?" Wanda asked Indiana.

"No, but I think there's a road not far from here, it might be worth getting a car." Indiana said, turning and walking a different direction, Wanda following him. "What are you even doing out here?"

"I'm looking for my parents." Wanda told him. "My grandma told me they arrived where she lives."

"Who's your 'grandma'?" Indiana asked.

"I don't know. I've never met her personally. I can only hear her in my head, she looks after me and gives me advise when I need it." Wanda informed the cyborg.

"Well, who are your parents?"

"I don't know. I've never met them." Wanda admitted. "I've kind of, just, lived on my own."

"But...your just a kid." Indiana seemed surprised. "And you've been out here, alone, with grymm everywhere, for 19 weeks. You should be dead."

"Maybe, I guess I'm just lucky." Wanda told him as they reached the road. They looked up and down for a vehicle. "Look, there's a truck!"

"Guess it'll do." Indiana agreed, the two of them walking down the road towards it.

* * *

"Get in the car!" Alex yelled, he and Anna running to the car as the herd approached, surrounding them. Alex pulled open the driver side door and quickly got into the car, slamming the door shut just as the grymm arrived. Anna skidded over the hood of the car and pulled open the passenger side door, getting in as a grymm lunged at her. She kicked it back and got in, slamming the door shut, the army of grymm surrounding the car, desperately attempting to get them. They glanced at each other, both knowing they were trapped, they couldn't get away and they couldn't fight their way out. Alex slammed his head on the wheel. "Fuck!"

"Alex, calm down." Anna told him, rubbing her forehead.

"Why? Just in case you didn't realise, we can't get out." Alex told her sarcastically. "We can't fight these grymm, and we can't escape, we're trapped."

"Look, there is no use giving up, that would be the cowardly way out. We just need to be smart about this." Anna tried to calm him down. "How long can we survive in here?" Alex took a couple of breaths, calming himself down.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Alex asked her.

"I've been in life-or-death situations before. You get used to it." Anna told him. "So?"

"The food, water and other supplied collected are in this car, it might last us a few weeks, maybe a month. Bu the glass windows aren't exactly bulletproof. The grymm could break them if they find something heavy to do it with, or just over time, it will break. Maybe a few hours." Alex told her.

"Then we need a way out." Anna told him, reaching over and taking the radio out of the socket. "Ozpin taught me a trick to send a message using something like this, hopefully someone will hear. If they can, they can track it to us." Anna took the cover off the radio, looking over the motherboard.

"That's a lot of hope. Who would be listening?" Alex asked.

"Someone who's alive, who can help." Anna told him, getting more frustrated. "I know I might be hoping for a lot, but we have to try."

"Okay, just, make sure it works." Alex told her, and leant back, sighing. Anna removed a few wired, rewiring them and put the cover back on, putting it back in the socket, a slight beeping found coming from the radio.

 **_ . . | . _ | . _ . | _ . _**

 **_ . . | . _ | . _ . | _ . _**

 **_ . . | . _ | . _ . | _ . _**

"And now..." Anna leant back on her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "We wait."

* * *

David banged on one of the wall panels, the walls rippling slightly until they stopped, back in place. He grabbed onto one of the support beams and shook his arms, the beam remaining in the floor, secured. David nodded to himself and moved over to the next panel.

"What are you doing, constable?" Vanessa asked, walking over to him with her hands in her pockets.

"I'm checking the walls, making sure they're still secure." David told her. "And please, don't call me that."

"I'm just joking." Vanessa said with a chuckle. "I'm sure that after three months and minimal grymm, the walls are still fine."

"They were fine last time, but they still fell. I don't want that to happen again." David banged his fist on another wall, the wall rippling slightly and stopped after a few seconds. Vanessa put a hand on the beam and tried to shake it, but it didn't move.

"Remember when we cleared out the barn, when we found out my sister had been bitten and died, you told the Cydonians, myself included, that we should be dead, that we couldn't defend ourselves. That you had to kill us to save us. Do you still believe that?" Vanessa asked him.

"I do. I had to kill Darren to save everyone else. Darren was the first person I killed in cold blood, I've always killed because they threatened me and my friends, and it was a necessity, just nameless goons who meant nothing to me. I didn't have to kill Darren, I could have just stopped him, but after what he did to Kiley, what he was going to do to Anna and our baby, I _wanted_ to kill him." David admitted to her. "He knew I would though, and the grymm got in, killed many people that I didn't even know. They still can't protect themselves. At this point, I don't know if they can."

"You managed to train me from an amateur to a skilled huntress in a couple of weeks. How long would it realistically take to train a few hundred people to use a knife, or a sword of some sort?" Vanessa asked rhetorically, David unable to answer. "Come on, the festival is in a few hours, best to start getting ready now." Vanessa walked off towards Alex's house, David taking a moment to think about what she said, and headed towards his own house.

* * *

Indiana continued driving the truck down the stark empty road, Wanda sitting next to him in the passenger seat, humming to herself quietly as she twiddled with her thumbs. She sighed tiredly and looked over at his right hand on the steering wheel, the metal hand covered by a black glove. "Why are you wearing a glove?" Wanda asked him. Indiana glanced at his hand, and back at the road.

"I was injured a long time ago, and it changed me, made me a bad man." Indiana explained to her. "Over the last few months, me and my girlfriend have both been trying to change each other's lives, make them better. She told me to cover my hand, so it would be easier to forget."

"What happened to it? Did you damage it?" Wanda asked, cocking her head to the side slightly.

"Something like that." He answered vaguely, and the two entered a silence again, Indiana looking at the road while Wanda continued to hum to herself, playing with her thumbs. "You hear voices, huh? For how long?"

"I can only hear my grandma, and since I was born. It's nice to always have someone watching over you." Wanda answered, and looked at the radio, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Indiana asked, and looked at the radio. He turned up the volume."

 **_ . . | . _ | . _ . | _ . _**

 **_ . . | . _ | . _ . | _ . _**

 **_ . . | . _ | . _ . | _ . _**

"DARK? What's 'DARK'?" Wanda asked him.

"You understand that?" Indiana asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You can't?" Wanda asked, confused.

"Well, DARK is my team name, and only my team can transmit a message like that." Indiana told her.

"What does it mean?" Wanda asked Indiana.

"It means, since she's the only one outside Cydonia, Anna is in trouble. And I can track it." Indiana pressed a few buttons on the radio and a set of coordinates appeared on the screen. "You don't mind if we take a detour?"

"You're driving. Just hurry, I'm starving!" Wanda complained, holding her stomach. Indiana chuckled a little and skidded the car, turning around and driving at maximum speed towards the signal.

* * *

Doc walked into Sky's hospital ward, the girl still unconscious, Hecate lying on the bed with her, asleep. He smiled a little and walked over to the monitor hanging near to them displaying Sky's vitals, which had unfortunately not improved. He sighed tiredly, sitting down on one of the seats, rubbing his eyes. "Damn, wrong again." He muttered.

"Something wrong, Doctor?" Emily asked, poking her head into the room.

"Sky's vitals haven't improved, David was wrong. I have no idea what's wrong with her, so all we can do is hope that she wakes up on her own." Doc told her. "It's my job to fix the people of Cydonia who can't fix themselves. I've failed her."

"You can't blame yourself, you tried your best. Unfortunately, nobody is perfect, Frank." Emily told him. "She's a strong girl, I'm sure she'll recover."

"I hope so, because that's all we can do-"

"GRYMM!" Sky shot up, screaming at the top of her lungs, Hecate jolting awake and falling off the bed. "Grymm! Grymm! Where are the grymm!"

"SKY!" Hecate crashed into her, hugging her as tightly as she could. "I've missed you so much, I thought I'd lost you!"

"What?" What-what are you talking about?" Sky asked, confused.

"You've been unconscious for three months, Sky. You stopped the grymm." Frank told her.

"I-I did?" Sky seemed confused.

"Yeah, you don't remember?" Emily asked her.

"No, I do. I do. But...I didn't kill the grymm..." Sky tried to explain.

"What do you mean?" Hecate asked her girlfriend.

"I'm...not sure...it's all fuzzy, but I think someone told me to do it, and I did. I-I just don't really remember." Sky tried to explain to them.

"I don't care. All I do care about is that you're okay." Hecate told her, and Sky hugged her. "I love you."

"You too." Sky agreed, and kissed her.

* * *

Alex looked at his watch, sighing and leaning back again. "Anna, it's been hours, nobody has came yet and that glass won't hold for much longer."

"I know." Anna muttered. "David didn't want me to go on this run, he offered to take over for me. I told him he could trust me, and look where we are now."

"We couldn't have known. This many grymm don't just appear out of nowhere." Alex told her.

"But David was right. I shouldn't be out here, putting not just my life, but our babies life at risk. And now, as much as I hate to admit it, both of us are likely to die." Anna sniffled, tears coming to her eyes. "I've already been in life-or-death situations, but-but I don't want to die. I don't want my baby to die." Anna wiped the tears from her eyes, leaning back, closing her eyes. Alex looked out the window at the dozens of grymm he could see, and took out his knife.

"You're not dying today." Alex told her, Anna turning to him confused. "Once I'm out there, move over to this seat and drive back to Cydonia as fast as you can. I'll keep them distracted."

"What? No! I can't just let you sacrifice yourself!" Anna objected.

"Anna, you have a baby to think about. I can't even think about you dying, along with your baby, when I could save you." Alex explained. "It's my fault we're in this mess anyway. Stupid TV."

"No. If you're going out there, then so am I. We fight them together, or die together. My life is not worth more than yours." Anna told him, unsheathing her katana.

"Anna-"

" _No_. Unless you have a better idea, start counting down, because this is the only option." Anna cut him off. He sighed, knowing he couldn't change his mind.

"Okay. On three." Alex told her, and she nodded.

"One."

The grymm growled at them louder, as if sensing their inevitable exit.

"Two."

Alex put his hand on the door handle, Anna doing the same as they held their weapons at the ready.

"Three!"

Before he could open his door, bullets sprayed into the back of the car, killing the grymm towards the back of the car. "Get down!" Alex and Anna both ducked down as the gunfire continued, dropping any grymm in the way and drawing the living ones away from them. The gunfire stopped and they looked to see Indiana reloading his assault rifle.

Indiana turned around when he saw the truck door opening, Wanda hopping out. "Get back in the truck!" He ordered her.

"But I can help!" Wanda objected.

"Don't! Stay back!" Indiana told her, and continued firing his assault rifle. More and more grymm dropped to the ground until his weapon ran out of ammo. "Damn it." He flipped the rifle around and slashed the bladed end at the closest grymm, slicing through it's head. He took a few steps back, holding up the blade defensively as a couple of dozen grymm stumbled towards him.

 _ **CREAK!**_

Indiana turned to see Wanda gripping the front of the truck, the metal bending underneath her clenched fists. She yelled angrily and threw the truck across the road, the truck landing and rolling over the remaining grymm, killing the rest of them. Wanda lowered her arms and collapsed to the floor.

"Wanda!" Indiana ran over to her, checking to see if she was still alive.

"Holy fuck! How did she do that!" Alex yelled, opening the car door and stepping out.

"Get back in, we need to get back to Cydonia, right now." Indiana told them, carrying Wanda in her arms.

"Who is she?" Alex asked, getting in the car. Indiana got into the back seat, lying Wanda down across the other two seats.

"I found her earlier in the forest, she's been out here for almost five months." Indiana told them. "And there is something seriously weird about her." Anna looked back and widened her eyes in shock as soon as she saw Wanda.

"It's her."

* * *

"And what's seven squared?" Emily asked Sky, reading from a printed piece of paper.

"Umm...49!" Sky answered.

"Alright, it appears that higher brain functions haven't been affected, so from what I can tell, you'll make a full recovery." Emily told her.

"Whoo! That's a relief. Thank you, Emily." Sky thanked her, and Emily smiled back, getting up from the seat and exited the ward. She closed the door and turned, seeing David walking up to her.

"How is she?" David asked her.

"Sky has made a full recovery. Your idea worked." Emily told him. "You can go see her if you want."

"Yeah, we need to talk." David told Emily, and entered the ward as Emily walked away. He walked over to Sky and Hecate, both in Sky's bed, and took a seat next to them. "So, feeling better."

"Better than a few hour ago. Thank you for bringing me back." Sky thanked.

"It's nothing. Listen...you know about the festival tonight, right?" David asked them.

"Yeah, why?" Hecate asked him.

"Well, since Sky did save Cydonia, I wouldn't feel right sending you two back to the prison without thanking you both. So, if you both want, you can go to the festival tonight, Noir and Xerxes too." David offered them.

"Really?! Oh, I'm so excited! Can we go? Can we go?!" Hecate begged Sky.

"I guess, but we'll need dresses." Sky told her.

"Over the three months you were napping, I took a trip to Mistral and got you both dresses, just in case." David informed them.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Hecate hugged David, Sky just sighing.

"Okay, let go." David told her, pulling her off. "Your stuff is in the prison, go tell Noir and Xerxes and get changed. The festival is in a few hours." David reminded them, and got up, nodding to them and exited the ward. As soon as he left, a gurney speeding down the corridor, being pushed by Indiana and Alex. He only got a brief glimpse at who was on the gurney, and he couldn't believe who it was.

Wanda.

* * *

Anna entered her and David's bedroom, sitting down on the bed, taking off the sheathed katana and her jacket, tossing them on the floor. Before she could take a moment to relax, David walked in.

"Anna, Alex told me about what happened on the run today. Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah. I'm good." Anna answered half-heartily.

"Thank god." David sighed, relieved. "Indiana told me how he found Wanda. I just-I can't believe she's even here. She's just a kid and she's been out here, on her own, for months, and she still made it. And then, she was shot, and threw a truck, there is definitely something off about her. Wanda's unconscious, but from exhaustion. Living out there for all that time must have taken a toll on her." David looked at Anna. She wasn't listening. David stopped pacing and sat down next to her, holding onto her shoulder and pulling her towards him, Anna leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I-I...I almost died today, David." Anna told him. "I just, I realised that I should never had left. If I had died, our baby had died, I-I-I..." Anna started crying, David pulling her into a hug, her tears slightly dampening his shirt. "I don't want to die."

"Anna." David wiped a tear from her eye. "I love you, and you know I trust you, but...this is the truth. If you go out there, you can die. Especially if you end up in a situation like you were in earlier. I told you I would go, and I could have died. Anna, I can't lose you."

"I...I don't want to go out there anymore." Anna told him. "I can't risk our baby. I can't lose you. I love you."

"I love you too." The two of them kissed, each holding onto each other tightly. After a few seconds, they released, looking in each others eyes. "You know, that dance is still tonight."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Anna remembered. "Tonight, we can act like it isn't an apocalypse outside. Instead, just us. The two of us."

" _Three_ of us." David corrected, putting a hand on her stomach. Anna chuckled a little, cuddling into his chest.

"We'd best get ready." Anna told him.

"Right. I'll go change somewhere else, I haven't seen the dress yet." David told her, getting up.

"Yeah, you can't ruin the surprise." Anna teased as David left the room. Anna sighed, recomposing herself and went into the bathroom for a quick shower.

* * *

Hecate and Sky walked down into the prison, finding Noir and Xerxes in their cell, playing with a set of cards. Xerxes glanced up and smiled a little. "Sky, you're all better." Xerxes said, relieved.

"Told you so." Noir said with a smirk. "Do you have any threes?"

"You know I do, you know _every_ card I have." Xerxes complained. She sighed and handed Noir three three's.

"You know about the festival tonight? The dance?" Hecate asked them.

"Yes. _Vhy_?" Xerxes asked.

"Well, David told us we can go. As a thank you to Sky and her friends for saving Cydonia." Hecate explained. "Me and Sky are going, do you two want to?"

"No. My lover is out there, and I only dance _vith_ him." Xerxes declined.

"The demon likes dancing." Noir told them, nodding.

"Well, David and Anna got us dresses a couple of months ago." Sky told Noir. "Let's try them."

* * *

David knocked on the bedroom door, now fully changed into his suit. A black jacket, black trousers and black boots with a white collared shirt and a gold tie. He had opted to leave his dust-infused fingerless gloves and weapons, deciding they were unnecessary. "Come in!" Anna told him, David opening the door. He walked in to see Anna turning to him, now in her dress. A pure black maxi dress going down to just beneath her knees, with one strap over her right shoulder and a small hole in the chest and black heeled shoes. She had a pair of black gloves that went to her upper forearm and a small amount of black eyeshadow around the upper-corners of her eyes.

"Anna, you look beautiful." David complimented her, Anna smiling and blushing.

"Thank you. Your not to bad yourself." Anna said, walking over to him.

"You ready to go?" David asked her. She nodded and the two exited the house, hands interlocked.

* * *

Hundreds of people were all crowded in the centre of Cydonia, either dancing on the large dance floor in the middle or sitting at one of the dozens of large tables around the dance floor, covered over by gazebos with lights hanging from them. Alex was sitting at one of the tables with Xander, chastising him after spiking the punch bowl. Alex was wearing a black jacket, black trousers and black boots, along with a white collared shirt with a grey tie. Xander wore a collared white shirt with the top button undone, black trousers and black boots. Vanessa walked around the area with a camera, taking pictures of couples dancing together while talking with them. She wore a brown halter dress that went down to just above her knees, the strap going around the back of her neck and brown heeled shoes. She had a small amount of brown eyeshadow on.

Hecate and Sky danced together on te dance floor, holding each other as they danced in the slow music. Hecate wore a golden strapless dress that went to midway down her thigh with golden flat shoes. Sky wore a dark blue empire dress that almost touched the ground with blue flat shoes. In the corner of the dance floor, Noir danced on her own, whispering to the demon inside her. Noir wore a purple sun dress that went to her knees along with purple heeled shoes and gloves that went to her upper arm.

David and Anna slowly danced in the crowd of people, holding each other in a content silence, Anna resting her head on his chest and simply enjoying the peace of the moment and each others company. As the music began to stop, David looked down at Anna.

"I need to leave." He told her, catching her attention.

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.

"A few months ago, I told you that Ruby is going to Haven. I need to go with her." David reminded her. Anna shook her head a little, and leant it back on his chest.

"We can talk about this later. Can we just...enjoy the moment while it lasts?" Anna asked, closing her eyes.

"Yeah." David agreed, hugging her closer. Just as the moment became peaceful again, a flash from a camera shocked them. They looked to see Vanessa lowering the camera, smiling at them.

"Sorry, it was a nice moment, and I'm getting everyone's pictures." Vanessa explained. "Do you want a copy?"

"Sure." David told her. Vanessa pressed a few buttons on the camera and it printed a small picture, which she handed to him. He looked at the picture and smiled, showing it to Anna. She took the photo and looked at it, and smiled at the picture.

"It's too bad every day can't be like this." Anna muttered, slipping the picture down the top of her dress.

"It will be. One day." David assured. As the next song came on, they both looked to see three of Xander's silver clones on the stage. They sang along with the song.

 _In love in need,  
In want in miss,_  
 _I taste your bite,  
I taste your kiss,_

 _And I think back_  
 _The things you said_  
 _They make me mad_  
 _A bull to red_

Drunkenly, Xander stumbled onto the stage, holding a microphone. David and Anna continued dancing along with the music.

 _And I wonder where you are,_  
 _And I wonder what you wore,_  
 _And I'm lost inside a bar,_  
 _And I'm drunk inside a war,_  
 _And I wonder where you are,_

 _Drinking Martinis by myself,_  
 _On a Sunday,_  
 _Drinking Martinis again,_  
 _On a Monday,_

 _It's a half-life!_  
 _It's a half-life!_  
 _It's a half-life!_  
 _It's a half-life..._

David pulled away from Anna, the two of them not realising how hot they had gotten. "I'll go get us some drinks." David told her. She nodded as David walked over to one of the tables. He reached the table and got a couple of cups.

"You know, the punch has been spiked." Alex told him, leaning against the table. "Xander did it. Guy drinks more alcohol than water."

"If he drinks alcohol, he does. My dad does, and I've got no issue with that." David told him, taking off his jacket and putting it on one of the chairs. He looked over at the punch and narrowed his eyes curiously. "Hey Alex, is that punch...frozen?" Alex looked at him curiously, and looked at the punch too. The entire punch bowl had been frozen solid.

"What the hell? Did someone put too much ice dust in it?" Alex asked him. David shrugged his shoulders, unable to answer. David looked at the grass floor and saw footprints leading away from them, the patches crushed and frozen. He looked along the ground and saw them leading towards the communications tower. Without saying a word, David sprinted towards the tower, following the footsteps leading the way. "David!" Alex yelled, David ignoring him and continued running.

"Where's David going?" Anna asked, walking up to him.

"I don't know, something must have caught his attention." Alex guessed, and looked again a the frozen punch bowl.

* * *

David ran up the stairs of the tower and pulled open the double doors. However, he was stopped by a wall of solid ice covering the door from inside the tower. He punched it, and cursed as the ice didn't even dent. "Damn it." He muttered, trying to think of a way in. He sighed and took a step back, and raised his arms, putting the palms of his hands on the ice. He closed his eyes and concentrated his telekinesis.

 _ **SMASH!**_

The ice fell apart, shattering into millions of pieces. David jumped over the ice, and saw someone across the room, typing on one of the panels. It was a man, or even a kid, standing no more than 5 feet tall with medium length hair. What _really_ intrigued David was that this person was made entirely out of ice, the person's skin was light blue and wore thin clothing, also made out of ice. David could visibly see steam emanating from him. The person glared at David and formed a knife made from ice in his right hand, and threw it at David.

David rolled out of the way as the man formed more ice knifes, throwing them incredibly quickly at David, ripping apart any tables or chairs in the way. David reached the wall and turned to the man, who raised his arms and fired tiny ice pellets from his hands and directly at David. David raised his left hand and shattered the pieces before they reached him, he pushed his right arm forward, forcing the man back and smashed into the computer behind him. David lowered his arms and ran at the man, raising his fist and punching him before the man had time to react. David's fist connected and smashed part of his face, ice pieces crashing onto the floor. David punched the man in the stomach, and again in the face.

Much to David's shock, after the last hit, the man shattered into millions of pieces and turned into nothingness before the pieces hit the ground. David breathed heavily, the adrenaline rush wearing off and looked at the computer monitor. It flickered, damaged, but he could see what was on the screen clearly.

 **SKYFALL**

 **LAT: 40.712784**

 **LONG: -74.005941**

 **I'LL SEE YOU SOON, _DAVID_**

* * *

 _I buy your brand,_  
 _I smoke your brand,_  
 _I count the what,_  
 _Ifs on one hand,_

 _And I wonder where you are,_  
 _And I wonder what you wore,_  
 _And I'm lost inside a bar,_  
 _And I'm drunk inside a war,_  
 _And I wonder where you are,_

 _Drinking Martinis alone,_  
 _Sunday morning,_  
 _Drinking Martinis again,_  
 _Sunday evening,_

 _It's a half-life!_  
 _It's a half-life!_  
 _It's a half-life!_  
 _It's a half-life..._

* * *

 _And I wonder where you are_

* * *

 **So, that was a thing. Someone has send David a message, and wants to meet him. Who could it be? Who was that man? Will we ever find out?!**

 **Yes.**

 **Just a note, I have created a wikia based on this universe that you can use to find out about the characters, locations and most importantly, physical appearances.**

 **The website is:** **the-xiao-long-chronicles .wikia wiki/ Main_Page**

 **And remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter fourteen!**


	14. Skyfall Part 1

_**Song from Previous Chapters**_

 _ **"Half-Life"**_

 _ **Artist - Trocadero**_

* * *

 _This is the end_  
 _Hold your breath and count to ten_  
 _Feel the earth move and then_  
 _Hear my heart burst again_

* * *

David appeared in a cloud of yellow smoke, in a place he didn't recognise. It was day time, the sun high above his head and clouds in the sky. He looked around, it was barren, nothing human made in sight. When David turned around, he saw a large, metal square, easily 10 foot in height, width and depth. Without many other options, David walked up to the cube and saw a faint outline of a door, with a keypad on the front, the numbers 0 to 9 on buttons with a screen above it. David thought about it for a second and typed in a number.

 **7-5-9-3-2-5-5**

The door hissed and opened, light coming out from the inside. David entered and found himself inside a metal room, a table in the middle with two chairs. The chair closest to him was unoccupied. The chair on the other side was occupied.

A man, about forty years old, sat in the opposite chair, looking at David. He had mid length grey hair with black eyes, a thin, messy beard and a scar crossing across the bridge of his nose. He wore a white lab coat, a grey collared shirt and a white T-shirt underneath with black trousers and smart black boots. He looked at David with a small smirk as the door sealed shut.

"Hello David." He introduced himself, and gestured to the other seat. "Have a seat, we have a lot to talk about."

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

* * *

 **DAY 142**

* * *

" **These are a set of coordinated.** " CC told David, Miranda and Linda, the four of them inside the communications tower looking at one of the monitors.

 **SKYFALL**

 **LAT: 40.712784**

 **LONG: -74.005941**

 **I'LL SEE YOU SOON, _DAVID_**

" **According to map data I could obtain from what is left of the CCT, the coordinates are central Menagerie, remotely unknown, nothing notable there. It seems that someone sent this 'Ice Man' to give David this message.** " CC told them.

"And tried to kill me." David muttered, leaning against the wall. "How can that thing even exist? He was made entirely out of ice."

"Remnant has had a lot of unusual creatures over the years. I've never heard of anything like someone made of ice." Miranda added.

" **The Ice Man isn't important. What is important, is who is trying to meet David. And why?** " CC asked. David leant up and walked away.

"David?" Linda called out. He ignored her.

"David!" Miranda yelled. David stopped and turned to them.

"For years, my life has been messed with, and my friends. I'm sick of sitting back and letting them fuck with my life. Someone wants to meet me, I'll happily meet them." David turned and walked out. He stopped and turned back. "Don't tell Anna." He exited the tower and teleported, leaving a cloud of yellow smoke.

* * *

Vanessa took another picture, humming as she glanced at the image, smirking a little and moved on. She walked around the dance floor, looking for more people to take pictures of.

"Hey Vanessa." She turned to see Alex walking up to her.

"Hey Alex." She greeted with a smile. "Want a picture?"

"So I can be reminded how alone I am? No thanks." Alex joked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, come here you dork." Vanessa pulled him over and held the camera out. "Smile." She ordered him. She took the picture and looked at the image on the camera, the two of them smiling widely side-by-side.

"Looks great." Alex complimented. "Thanks."

"No problem. I have been living at your house for months now, one picture couldn't hurt." Vanessa told him.

"So...want to dance?" Alex asked.

"Don't push your luck." She joked, putting the camera down. "Sure, it'll be fun." The two of them walked towards the dance floor, but were stopped when Anna walked up to them.

"Hey, have either of you seen David?" Anna asked them. "He went to get some drinks and didn't come back."

"Yeah, he did come over, but the punch bowl was frozen. Last I saw, he was running towards the tower." Alex told her.

"Right, thanks." Anna told them, walking away from the festival and jogging towards the tower. As Ale went to the dance floor, Vanessa turned to follow Anna.

"Where are you going?" Alex asked.

"With her. David's obviously done something." Vanessa told him.

"But, the dance-"

"We'll dance some other time. Come on." Vanessa told Alex, walking towards the tower, Alex begrudgingly following.

* * *

David appeared in a cloud of yellow smoke, in a place he didn't recognise. It was day time, the sun high above his head and clouds in the sky. He looked around, it was barren, nothing human made in sight. When David turned around, he saw a large, metal square, easily 10 foot in height, width and depth. Without many other options, David walked up to the cube and saw a faint outline of a door, with a keypad on the front, the numbers 0 to 9 on buttons with a screen above it. David thought about it for a second and typed in a number.

 **7-5-9-3-2-5-5**

The door hissed and opened, light coming out from the inside. David entered and found himself inside a metal room, a table in the middle with two chairs. The chair closest to him was unoccupied. The chair on the other side was occupied.

A man, about forty years old, sat in the opposite chair, looking at David. He had mid length grey hair with black eyes, a thin, messy beard and a scar crossing across the bridge of his nose. He wore a white lab coat, a grey collared shirt and a white T-shirt underneath with black trousers and smart black boots. He looked at David with a small smirk as the door sealed shut.

"Hello David, I'm Reginald Gordon." He introduced himself, and gestured to the other seat. "Have a seat, we have a lot to talk about." Cautiously, David walked over to the table and sat down on the seat. "It seems you got my message."

"You tried to kill me." David said coldly. "Why?"

"You-you think I tired to _kill_ you? Why would I do that?" Reginald asked him. "I told Frostbite to got you to destroy him, so he could escape. I guess he assaulted you first." David looked unconvinced. "You don't know who he is, Frostbite is an Inhuman like you, but much more enhanced. His entire body is made out of modified dry ice that allows him to live in normal temperatures. If he's destroyed, he can reconstruct himself from a gas form. He needed to get away, and you destroyed him so he could get-"

"Who are you?" David cut him off. Reginald sighed, leaning forward.

"I'm the man who's been the cause of all your problems, the one who made you an Inhuman, who created Ultramega and helped Cinder cause the Fall of Vale. In other words, I'm the man you've been looking for. And I've waited a _long_ time to meet you, David."

"If you're here to kill me, just tell me one thing: Why?" David asked.

"Why? Because someone more powerful than me has been making me. I'm here to talk to the one person on Remnant I can trust." Reginald told him. David leant forward slightly.

"Then let's talk."

* * *

Anna, Alex and Vanessa ran up to the towers door, pushing it open and entering the tower. They saw Linda and Miranda arguing with CC firing a small red laser at the monitor, the message disappearing from the screen.

"He's put himself in serious danger!" Miranda yelled.

"He can take care of himself, we both know that!" Linda opposed.

"He doesn't know what he's getting into, if he's in danger it's on us!" Miranda yelled back.

"Hey!" The two women stopped arguing to see the three young adults at the door. "Where is David?" Anna demanded.

"I don't know." Linda lied. "He's just disappeared."

"Damn it!" Anna yelled. "Why does he keep doing that!?"

"Anna, calm down." Vanessa tried to calm her down.

"Why!? He keeps leaving without a word. He's always trying to get himself killed!" Anna screamed.

"He's gone because he has to." Miranda told them. "Someone left him a message, to meet him. Whatever the reason, if they wanted him dead, they would have just got Ice Man to do it instead."

"Wait, 'Ice Man'. What is that?" Alex asked.

"Someone who attacked David, and left him a message." Miranda told them. SHe walked up to Anna and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Listen to me, David will be okay. We both know he will."

"O-okay, I trust him. But when he get's back, I swear I'm going to hit him." Anna said, and exited the tower, Alex and Vanessa glanced at each other and left too.

* * *

"How many Inhumans are there?" David asked Reginald. Reginald leant back, doing a long, thoughtful whistle.

"Well...there's you and your girlfriend in Cydonia, the twins with Ultra, Frostbite with me and...Animi in Cydonia's prison, that's it." Reginald said.

"Wait, who's Animi?" David asked him.

"He was my first Inhuman, he has the ability to control minds, as it is literally his name. He's in prison for killing half a hunter team, and killing the other two's baby. I don't think you've met them, Scott and Bethany Rogers, they caught him and locked him up before he could stop them. He's still in that prison, right now."

"There's only six Inhumans?" David asked.

"The rest of them are dead." Reginald told him, coldly.

"Dead?" David asked.

"Well, some died during experimentation, some killed themselves after the procedure, and some were killed by your buddy, Epsilon." Reginald told David, a hint of anger in his voice. "That damn AI has been on a warpath, searching for me while killing any Inhumans that end up in his way. Guess he wasn't happy that I played a part in killing his Penny."

"It's a shame that she died like that." David remembered that day.

"Yeah, Penny became a bunch of quarters." Reginald joked coldly, getting an angry glare from David. "What? Too soon? Anyway, yeah, she died so Cinder's plan would work."

"How did you get Epsilon to attack Mercury? Mind manipulation semblances don't work on him." David reminded him.

"And you'd be right, Epsilon really did defend himself from Mercury, but everyone except Epsilon, Ultra and yourself saw Epsilon attack a harmless student." Reginald told David. "I created a tiara of sort, a little head thing for Emerald to amplify her semblance. She altered what everyone in the stadium saw, and I created a fake video to play over the live feed. Everyone thinks that he attacked a student. But, obviously nobody blames him."

"Why not?" David asked, curious.

"Because I revealed to everyone that that little bastard is an AI, and that he was under the control of a Yang Xiao Long. Ergo, everyone blames her for what happened instead of him." Reginald explained. "As much as I hate Epsilon for killing my Inhumans, Ashley begged me not to kill him. So, I destroyed the most important thing to him: his sister. Well, it's not as bad as losing an arm."

"Ashley?" David asked the older man.

"Well, I guess you could call her my partner in crime, she's been by my side for about half a year and is also my bodyguard. She isn't here, since I wanted to show a sign of trust between the two of us." Reginald explained to David.

"And she doesn't want Epsilon dead." David stated.

"She and Epsilon are...close...in a special way that I couldn't possibly imagine. In all honesty, she's a cold hearted bitch who kills if I point a finger. However, she won't kill Epsilon, either because she can't...or she chooses not to. She gets nervous around him."

"Back to the subject, you caused the breach in Vale, and a lot of other things. If this is true, why tell me all this?" David asked Reginald. Reginald leant back forward.

"I want to help, I want you to know that I'm on your side. Unfortunately, I have to do it in very small and unnoticeable ways, things that even I might miss if I didn't look twice." Reginald told him. His expression became harder as he became more serious. "There are those out there, above me, you, Cinder, even Ozpin himself. Three individuals. Salem. Phoenix. Mortem. All three of them are working together and pulling strings to end humanity as we know it. And me, I'm trying to stop them. Of course, one of them has been dead for over a thousand years, another for over _ten thousand_ years, but yet they still stand together. If all three of them unite, say goodbye to the human and faunus race."

"Then why tell me this now?"

"Because my Inhumans are Remnants last hope."

* * *

Anna entered her bedroom, sitting down on the bed as he covered her eyes, sighing heavily. She took a few deep breaths, then clutched her stomach painfully. Anna groaned in pain as she stumbled into the bathroom, collapsing to her knees and vomiting into the toilet. After about a half a minute, she fell back, leaning against a wall and wiped her mouth. Bringing her legs up to her chest she started sobbing into the dress she was wearing, tears dampening the dress.

"Why are you crying?" Anna looked up, quickly wiping her eyes and looking out of the bathroom. Wanda stood just outside, looking at Anna with a curious expression. She was wearing a small hospital gown with some yellow and black pyjamas underneath.

"It-it's sickness caused by my baby, it'll pass. I'm okay." She assured he child. "How did you get in?"

"I opened the door." Wanda said simply.

"It was locked." Anna looked confused.

"Yeah, the lock is now broken." Wanda admitted, rubbing her arm nervously. Anna chuckled a little.

"You are an unusual child, aren't you?" Anna asked playfully.

"Why do people keep saying that? I'm just a girl, a child." Wanda pouted.

"Most children can't throw a truck across a road, let alone a hunter in training." Anna told Wanda, gesturing her over. Wanda sat down opposite Anna. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay, I saw you leaving the festival on your own." Wanda told her.

"No, why here, Cydonia? Why now?" Anna elaborated.

"Uhh...my grandma told me to come here." Wanda told Anna.

"She told you to travel from your village to here? On your own? That's a very long way away." Anna told her, concerned.

"Yeah, it was scary at first, but if I stayed quiet, the monsters wouldn't get me. I'm glad I can finally meet my parents." Wanda said with a smile.

"Who are your parents?" Anna asked the girl.

"I don't know. I never met them. Hopefully, I soon will." Wanda said.

"I haven't seen my parents for over ten years. They're...gone now." Anna said to Wanda.

"What happened to them?" Wanda asked.

"My father was a very bad man, so I stopped him, and my mom was hurt, so I ended that too. With Ozpin gone now, all I have left is David." Anna told the young girl. Wanda frowned and stood up, walked over to Anna and hugged her. After a moment of hesitation, Anna hugged back.

* * *

"Do you believe in coincidences, David?" Reginald asked David.

"I never really thought about it, but they happen to me a lot. I guess they do." David thought about it.

"You see, out of all my Inhumans, you are the most special: you have multiple semblances. But, unfortunately, it's also a defect." Reginald admitted.

"What do you mean?" David asked.

"Do you ever wonder why your eyes turn gold when you use a semblance?" Reginald asked, David nodded. "Well, the flashes of gold is your body basically telling you 'stop doing that, it's killing you', which is why you had four semblances, but now you have three. Your body is suppressing your telepathy to save you. Really, you should suppress the other two and focus on one, then that one will be at maximum ability. You have four semblances because one is from your mother, one is your own, one is from the donor, and one...is from me."

"What 'donor'?" David asked, getting more curious.

"It's how I create Inhumans. A small amount of blood from an Immortal to add to the subject, and boom! An Inhuman is born!" Reginald yelled. "And before you ask, I don't really know what Immortals are. All I know is that they live for thousands of years and have extremely slow age rates. They are a species of magic, but only one still exists. That's the donor."

"I still don't get what this has to do with me." David told Reginald. Reginald looked at David, now deadly serious.

"You are part of Ozpin's group, yes? Well, so am I, but for a different reason: to stop Salem, Phoenix and Mortem. Me, Ozpin, Ironwood, Glynda, Qrow, Miranda and the other two academy leaders have spent over 20 years creating the Inhumans to stop Salem. You see, every Inhuman I create is to serve a purpose: I created Frostbite because I needed a soldier who can't die. I created Animi to control the enemy. I created Willow to be strong enough to protect us. I created Peter to be fast enough to protect us. I created Anna so she could be unseen by the enemy. And you, you, my prized Inhuman. You are going to _kill_ Salem, Phoenix _and_ Mortem!"

"And all this is to start me on this path." David figured out.

"There are no 'coincidences'." Reginald told David "You just _so_ happened to save Qrow from a faunus that woke you up from a come. You just _so_ happened to rescue Anna from a white fang base, the woman who you love. You just _so_ happened to be given the worlds first highly-advanced artificial intelligence unit. You just _so_ happened to reawaken Indiana's conscious with the walkie-talkie you just so happened to have. You just _so_ happened to crash near Cydonia to find yourself in a new community to live a stronger life. And you just so happened to follow a set of footsteps that led you to a message to find me. Don't you get it, David, there are _no such thing_ as coincidences! Everything has gone according to my plan so you can kill Salem and save the human and faunus race."

"It's all been a long game to get me here." David told him.

"The one place on Remnant they cant find me, see me or hear me. A room made of solid Ultramanium, the strongest metal in existence, capable of blacking everything from the outside world. David, I have wanted to tell you this for a long time, but it was too dangerous. Salem knows you are the traitorous Inhuman, and want's you dead. The White Fang call you 'The Bringer of Mors', they fear you for what you have done, and want you dead too. Cinder is somewhere out there, and she wants you dead too. You have a death wish, and you need to stay alive, not just for you, but for your girlfriend and future child." Reginald told David.

"...What do I need to do?" David asked him.

"Ruby is leaving with what is left of Team JNPR in a few weeks, you need to go with them. Keep them safe and keep yourself safe. Make sure you're back to Cydonia before your baby is born." Reginald ordered him. "Anything else you want to know?"

"What is 'Skyfall'?" David asked.

"Skyfall is a community not too different from Cydonia, about 20 miles away. I made that the password so you'd ask about it. You need to take Anna there before she goes into labour, since Cydonia lacks the equipment to deliver a baby, and a natural Inhuman birth between two Inhumans has never happened before. Last thing I want is a miscarriage." Reginald admitted. "I think we've talked long enough, David. Get back to Cydonia and only tell those who you trust with this information, last thing I want is Salem finding out what has just happened." David got up from his seat and walked over to the door. He stopped and turned to Reginald.

"What about the girl?" David asked. Reginald looked at him curiously.

"What girl?" He asked.

"Wanda. Who is she?" David elaborated.

"Not a clue. I've never heard of or seen a Wanda before. Why?" He asked David.

"She's different. Something I've never seen before. She's dangerous, but she's still just a child." David explained. Reginald 'hmm'd'.

"In that case, protect her with everything you can. If I don't know about her, then who does?" Reginald asked rhetorically. "Maybe neither of us will ever know." David glanced back at the older man, and exited the room. After the door sealed, David teleported away, disappearing in a cloud of yellow smoke.

* * *

 _For this is the end_  
 _I've drowned and dreamt this moment_  
 _So overdue I owe them_  
 _Swept away, I'm stolen_

* * *

 **Replies to Reviews:**

 **TheOtherSanics: Thank you for the compliment, it was a fun chapter to write. In regards to the term 'Skyfall', it is a reference to the Skyfall movie, but in a more intentional way, the song from Adele. In the story, it is the name of another community, and the password to enter the room. In this story, nothing written down is there for no reason other than for a reason. Only Ultra would make a reference for no reason. Thanks for Reviewing!**

* * *

 **And so, we finally meet Reginald Gordon, the hidden enemy who is actually the hidden ally to David. He has planned everything from the start, what more is to come? Will they find Skyfall? And what exactly is Wanda?**

 **You'll have to wait and see...**

 **Just a note, I have created a wikia based on this universe that you can use to find out about the characters, locations and most importantly, physical appearances.**

 **The website is:** **the-xiao-long-chronicles .wikia wiki/ Main_Page**

 **And remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter fifteen!**


	15. Skyfall Part 2

**PREVIOUSLY ON EVERYBODY LIES...**

* * *

"What is 'Skyfall'?" David asked.

"Skyfall is a community not too different from Cydonia, about 20 miles away. I made that the password so you'd ask about it. You need to take Anna there before she goes into labour, since Cydonia lacks the equipment to deliver a baby, and a natural Inhuman birth between two Inhumans has never happened before. Last thing I want is a miscarriage." Reginald admitted. "I think we've talked long enough, David. Get back to Cydonia and only tell those who you trust with this information, last thing I want is Salem finding out what has just happened." David got up from his seat and walked over to the door. He stopped and turned to Reginald.

"What about the girl?" David asked. Reginald looked at him curiously.

"What girl?" He asked.

"Wanda. Who is she?" David elaborated.

"Not a clue. I've never heard of or seen a Wanda before. Why?" He asked David.

"She's different. Something I've never seen before. She's dangerous, but she's still just a child." David explained. Reginald 'hmm'd'.

"In that case, protect her with everything you can. If I don't know about her, then who does?" Reginald asked rhetorically. "Maybe neither of us will ever know." David glanced back at the older man, and exited the room. After the door sealed, David teleported away, disappearing in a cloud of yellow smoke.

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

* * *

 **DAY 142**

* * *

Anna paced back and forth in her bedroom, glancing at the clock every few seconds, which felt like painfully long hours to her. She had changed out of her dress and into her pyjamas, a simple black vest and underwear set. She looked at the clock again, the time still the same after the last four times she looked at it. She groaned angrily in frustration, turning around to pace more, but stopped at the sight of yellow smoke ahead of her. David appeared from within the cloud, looking at Anna, who glared back at him.

"Anna, I-" Anna hit David, slapping him across the face. David rubbed his cheek, and chuckled. "I deserved that."

"Yeah, you did." Anna agreed. She grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, pulling him down and kissing him. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm sorry Anna. I'm so sorry." David apologised, holding her closely. "I wasn't thinking right, I was just so...angry. Anna, someone has been screwing with our lives since before we met, and now I know exactly why."

"Someone has been messing with us? How?" Anna asked. David sighed heavily.

"We'd better sit down for this, it might take a while." David suggested, and the two of them sat down on the bed. "There's a man named Reginald Gordon, whether that is his real name, I don't know. He told me that he is being constantly watched and basically controlled by a woman called Salem, and two men called Phoenix and Mortem. The three of them are what is causing everything to happen, all the bad things, they caused the Breach in Vale and the Fall of Vale. Reginald is a scientist, and he created us, the Inhumans, he's planned everything since we first met up until now. He sent Frostbite to send a message to me to find him in the one place the three of them cannot find him. Now, he's told me that Inhumans are created to serve a purpose, and that I was made to kill Salem, Phoenix and Mortem."

"Huh." Anna said, somewhat surprised. "I guess in our lives, things like these don't surprise us too much, right?"

"Yeah." David agreed, sighing and removing his shirt, leaning back. "Man, it's been a long day."

"Me and Alex almost getting devoured by Grymm, meeting an impossible girl, you almost killed by an 'Ice Man' and now realising that you are determined to stop the most powerful beings in existence." Anna noted, lying down next to him. "Just a normal day for us, huh?"

"Mmm Hmm." David agreed. "How's Wanda?"

"She's awake, she came to see me earlier. She told me why she was here, to meet her parents. I...had a little outburst, David, I admitted that I don't have anybody left except you." Anna admitted. David sighed sadly and hugged her.

"We'll be fine. But, tomorrow, I have something important to do. I need to speak to Scott and Bethany Rogers." David told Anna.

"About what?" Anna asked.

"An Inhuman killed half of their team...and their baby." David told her grimly.

"Oh my god." Anna gasped, surprised. Without even thinking about it, her hand touched her stomach. David took her hand.

"I'm going to figure this out, I promise. But Anna, what Reginald told me, I have to meet with Ruby, Jaune, Ren and Nora before they head to Mistral. They don't know what they're getting into, they will die if they don't have my help-"

"David. Please, not now. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Can we just...rest now?" Anna asked, yawning. David chucked ad gave her a quick kiss.

"I could use it. Felt like I haven't slept in weeks." David admitted. Without any hesitation, the two of them immediately fell asleep.

* * *

 **DAY 143**

* * *

Alex exited his house, closing the door behind him as he started walking towards Elysium Academy for his daily 'annoy Miranda in some way' routine. Once he began walking, he stopped when he saw Vanessa up in the air, carefully hanging upside-down from the tree outside his house. Alex looked at her curiously. "Vanessa, what are you doing?"

"Uhh...training?" Vanessa guessed. "Why?"

"It's just a bit odd. I don't recall hanging from a tree being part of hunter training." Alex reminded her.

"Maybe it is. You'd know if you weren't kicked out." Vanessa said with a smug smirk. Alex looked past her and smirked.

"Is that a spider?" He asked. Vanessa's eyes widened in surprise.

" _SPIDER_!? WHERE!? AHH!" Vanessa yelled, losing her balance and falling from the tree, landing on the ground with a 'thud'. "Owww..."

"It was just a spider." Alex told her, helping her to her feet.

"I _hate_ spiders." Vanessa muttered coldly. Alex chuckled and continued towards Elysium. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"To go bother Miranda. Want to come?" Alex asked. Vanessa 'hmm'd' for a moment.

"Sounds like fun!" Vanessa told him, jogging to catch up to him.

* * *

Anna yawned as she slowly opened her eyes, stretching out her arms to reach for David, but stopped when he wasn't there. She looked across the room and saw David typing on a scroll. "What are you doing?" Anna asked him.

"Installing a programme. A lie detector." David told her. "I'm going to talk to Animi, and I need to make sure he tells the truth."

"That killer? Why?" Anna asked, leaning up.

"He's one of the last Inhumans in existence, in fact one of six. Epsilon killed the rest. I want to speak to him, find out why he did what he did." David explained to his girlfriend.

"Hmm. Wait, how did you get the software? The CCT's are down." Anna asked him.

"Reginald updated this scroll to work without the CCT, well, two scrolls actually." David told her. Anna started to get up. "You can stay in bed if you want, near-death yesterday must make you tired, the baby included." Anna tried to object, but sighed in defeat.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted." Anna admitted, chuckling to herself. "You keep yourself safe, I'll see you later."

"I will." David assured her, giving her a quick kiss. "See you later." David exited the room as Anna sighed tiredly and went back to sleep.

* * *

"-And you were out there for months? Alone?" Miranda asked Wanda, the two of them in Miranda's office. Miranda sat behind her desk with Wanda sitting on the opposite side of the desk.

"Why does _everyone_ keep asking that?" Wanda asked. "I'm still here, aren't I? Why does everyone act like that's odd?"

"Wanda...trained hunters have died outside these walls, I find it hard to believe that a seven year old girl could survive on her own." Miranda told the child. "How did you not get bitten by the grymm?"

"Bitten? I did get bitten. Quite a few times actually, at least until I managed to avoid them." Wanda told Miranda.

"...You're bitten?" Miranda asked, confused. "Where are you bit?"

"Oh, there aren't any marks, they couldn't even get close to causing a mark. Why, should there be?" Wanda asked, cocking her head to the side slightly.

"Wanda, you are an incredibly unique individual. I don't understand how you don't realise you're not normal." Miranda told her, surprised. Wanda just stared at Miranda. "What?"

"You sound like my grandma." Wanda told her. "Are you her?"

"I-" Miranda stuttered. "Wanda...why are you here?"

"My grandma told me that my parents are here. Are they?" Wanda asked Miranda.

"Yes. Your parents are here." Miranda told the girl with a heavy sigh.

"They are!?" Wanda exclaimed happily. "Wherewherewhere!?"

"Wanda, calm down." Miranda calmed down the child. "Your parents are here, but-"

"But what?" Wanda asked impatiently.

"-they may not want you, Wanda."

* * *

David walked into _Adele's_ , looking around at the few citizens of Cydonia who had woken up early in the morning, and saw he two individuals he was looking for in the corner of the tavern. Scott and Bethany Rogers.

Scott was a man in his mid thirties with red hair and red eyes. He wore a red shirt with a black jacket and a brown scarf. He had a set of black trousers and black boots on. On his back was a single, silver metal and red handled machete with red detail. Bethany was a woman in her early thirties with blonde hair split into two pigtails and brown eyes. She wore a brown short sleeved shirt with a sleeveless yellow leather jacket and a necklace with a padlock attached to it. She wore brown skin tight jeans and brown boots. On her hips were a pair of pistols with knifes attached to the front at a downward angle.

The two of them were talking to each other happily, David sighing heavily as he walked over to them, knowing that this may not have been the best time. David walked over to the table, catching their attention. "Hello, I'm David."

"Oh, David, yes, we've heard about you. Good work overthrowing Taub while we were gone." Scott complimented him.

"Thanks, it was my pleasure." David joked, the three of them chuckling a little. "Look, I'm sorry I have to bring this up, but I need to ask you about...Animi Imperio." Both of their faces paled, horrified.

"How do you know about him?" Scott asked quietly.

"Look, I met the man who created him. I know what he did, and I'm so, so sorry for what happened, but I need your help. I need to find him, and I don't know where he is." David explained.

"Why would you want to talk to that monster?" Bethany asked, spitefully.

"Because we're both more alike than I'd like to believe. Miranda never told me about him, so either she doesn't know about him, or she's hiding it from me. Since you both have had the unfortunate time of meeting him, I need to know, what do you know about him." David asked.

"Animi was a student at Elysium Academy, I was his personal tutor, due to the few pupils there at the time." Scott explained. "He needed the best grades to pass, but I failed him. He was, let's just say, horrifically mad. So, he got revenge by killing our team mates and...murdering our child." Scott finished, taking a moment as memories flooded back to him. David glanced at his scroll.

It glowed red. He was lying.

"Do you know where Animi is?" David asked.

"He's locked away. Linda assured us we'd never have to see him again." Scott explained, recomposing himself. He looked at David. "I can take you to him, but I will not face that monster again."

"I'm sorry it's come to this, but it's important." David apologised.

"No matter. We can go now, hopefully get this done as soon as we can." Scott told David, and turned to his wife. "I'll see you soon." He assured, Bethany nodded as Scott and David exited the tavern.

* * *

Alex and Vanessa strolled into Miranda's office, the two of them glanced at Miranda and Wanda. "Uhh...are we interrupting something?" Vanessa asked.

"Kind of, yeah." Miranda sighed annoyingly. "Is there something you two wanted."

"Well, I came here to annoy you, and I did, so I guess we'll go now." Alex told Miranda with a smirk. Vanessa looked at the other seat.

"Who's the girl?" Vanessa asked.

"Oh, hi! I'm Wanda!" Wanda introduced herself, waving to Vanessa and Alex.

"Yeah, you're the girl that Indiana found outside Cydonia. You feeling better?" Alex asked the girl, walking over to her.

"I was just tired, but apart from that, I'm good as gold." Wanda told him. "Why?"

"I mean, you were out there for a while-"

"Alex, I have discussed this already with Wanda. She came all this way to find her parents." Miranda explained.

"Are...they them?" Wanda asked, pointing at Alex and Vanessa. Both of their eyes widened greatly and their faces paled. Miranda groaned annoyingly.

"No, Wanda, they aren't your parents." Miranda told the child.

"Then where are they!?" Wanda screeched impatiently. Miranda took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly. She stood up to her feet, looking down at Wanda.

"...Come with me. I'll take you to them." As the two of them walked out, Alex took a step back, holding his head with a slightly pained expression. Vanessa looked at him curiously.

"You okay?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just...head hurts a little." Alex told her, rubbing it.

"Hmm. Should we see the Doc?" Vanessa suggested.

"Might as well, not much else to do." Alex admitted, the two of them exiting Miranda's office.

* * *

"No...no, no, no, no..." Noir muttered quietly, hands pressed against the sides of her head as she shook lightly in the corner of the cell as more and more visions came to her.

 _"Relax, I have just the thing to cheer you up...we're being sued!"_

"No, no no..." Noir whispered. Xerxes sighed heavily, getting up from her bunk.

"Noir, _vhat_ is the matter?" Xerxes asked the petite girl.

 _"We're missing something..."_

"No...no, no, it cannot happen..." Noir spoke nonsensically.

"Noir, are you okay?" Xerxes asked her worryingly.

 _"Technology is overrated..."_

"Don't do it... _don't do it..._ " Noir begged.

"Noir, snap out of it." Xerxes told Noir, shaking her. She turned around when the prison opened, David and Scott walking down the stairs.

 _"Speaking of which, if you're particularly annoying, you may see me reach for this: this is Vico-Dust. It's mine. You can't have any. And no, I do not have a 'pain management' problem, I have a 'pain' problem..."_

"No!" Noir screamed, shooting up to her feet. She ran up to the cell and reached through the bars desperately, grabbing David's arm. "Don't take the Vico-Duct! DON'T TAKE THE DRUGS!"

"...What?" David asked, shocked. Noir shuddered in fear and backed away.

"Please...please..." Noir whispered as she tucked into the corner of the room. David looked at Xerxes, who nodded and went over to Noir.

"What was that about?" Scott asked David.

"Hopefully, she's warning me about something. I'll have to keep my eyes open." David told the hunter. The two of them reached the end of the prison, reaching a concrete wall. "So...what now?"

"This." Scott opened a cement panel on the left side of the wall, a keypad hidden behind the concrete. He entered a long, complicated code and the wall ahead of them lifted up, revealing another hidden cell at the end of a long corridor. "He's there. Whatever happens, don't let him get to your head." Scott nodded to David and exited the prison. David took a deep breath and walked down the long corridor to the final cell, holding a man behind a glass wall, sitting on his bed.

He looked to be in his early 20's, standing at 6' 2" with brown hair and purple eyes. He wore a light grey T-Shirt, grey joggers and white trainers. He looked up at David and smirked. He got off the bed, walking along the water-ridden floor up to the glass. David looked down in front of him and saw a small panel with two large buttons: a large, red button and a large, blue button. He looked up at the man, who was pressing his finger against the glass, pointing at the blue button. David pressed it.

 _"Who are you?"_ Animi asked through a speaker system.

"I'm David. You are Animi Imperio, right?" David asked.

 _"Not a lot of people know about me. Let me guess, Reginald Gordon?"_ Animi guessed.

"Correct." David nodded. "Do you know why I'm here?"

 _"You want to know why I killed the hunters? The baby?"_ Animi asked, smirking.

" _Why_ did you kill them?" David asked grimly. Animi just laughed.

 _"You-you think I killed them? Why would I kill them? I ordered Scott and Bethany to kill their team mates, and their own precious baby. And yet, I'm the one behind bars."_ Animi told David. David glanced at his scroll.

It glowed green. He was telling the truth.

"But-how?" David was beyond horrified.

 _"Animi Imperio is such a suitable name, it literally means 'Mind Control'. I tell someone to do something, they do it without question. It was hard for them though, crying as they forced themselves to kill their friends, and their own baby. I didn't anticipate that killing their baby would break the semblance on them, they overpowered me and Miranda put me here. I told her not to, but it didn't work on her. I guess my semblance doesn't work on them."_ Animi guessed.

"...What do you mean 'them'?" David asked, walking up to the glass, standing face-to-face with Animi.

 _"He didn't tell you, did he? How we were made? Who the donor is?"_ Animi asked David. _"It's Miranda. She's the donor. She is the one who gave Reginald the blood to create the Inhumans. Miranda. Is. An. Immortal."_

"The Immortals are a myth. Nothing but a childhood story." David denied.

 _"Really? You haven't wondered about her? Why she's super strong? Why she's bulletproof? Why she can survive the grymm?_ " Animi asked David.

"How could you know Miranda can do-"

 _"Not Miranda. The girl. Wanda. The impossible girl is an Immortal."_ Animi told David, grinning. David glanced at his scroll.

Green.

David glared at Animi and pressed the red button, the floor electrocuting and spreading through the water. Animi yelled in pain, collapsing to the floor as he laughed maniacally.

"You're a fucking monster. Get rested, because you're going to spend the rest of your life in this cell. In pain. And if I don't think it's enough, I'll just cause more" David threatened, storming off. Animi gritted his teeth angrily and punched the glass, putting a fist-sized hole in it.

"That's it!? Just a threat!? You don't want to learn the truth!?" Animi yelled, David ignoring him. "Don't bother locking the door, I can't fucking get out anyway!" David stormed off, exiting the prison, leaving Animi's door open.

* * *

Alex sat on one of the beds in the hospital as Doc looked in Alex's ear using an Otoscope, humming to himself lightly as Vanessa stood across the room, watching the examination go on. Doc removed the Otoscope and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Alex. I've done every reasonable test for what you're describing, but everything is perfectly fine." Doc told Alex. "What was it again? Some kind of thumping?"

"Yeah, it's not as bad now, but earlier...I don't know, it was like a drum." Alex tried to explain. "Just repeating itself, four beats, stop, four beats, stop, and just keeps going and going and going."

"Well, unfortunately I couldn't find anything wrong, so if this 'drum' comes back, try to take some headache tablets. I'm afraid that's all I can really do." Doc finished.

"Okay then, thank you Doc." Alex thanked, getting up from the bed and exiting the room, Vanessa following.

"You've never had this before?" Vanessa asked him.

"Well, I mean, it's kind of always been there, ever since I was born. I just, I don't know, ignored it, zoned it out. But there are times when it's louder, forcing me to hear it." Alex explained to Vanessa.

"It hasn't been a problem for the first 18 or so years of your life, I'm sure it's going to be fine. Come on, let's go find something else to do." Vanessa told him as they both exited the hospital.

* * *

David entered his house, sighing heavily as he closed the door behind him. Being with Animi, just talking to him, had visibly drained David of any hope for Inhumans, knowing what he had done and why he did it. Such a big thing to do for such a small thing to happen. He walked up the stairs and entered his bedroom, he stopped when he saw Anna sitting on the bed, ow dressed in her usual attire, with Miranda and Wanda standing across the room.

"David, glad you could join us. We've been waiting for you." Miranda told him.

"Okay. What's this about?" David asked, sitting on the bed next to Anna. Miranda took a moment, taking a couple of deep breaths, as if she really didn't want to tell them something, but she knew she had to.

"Wanda has travelled across grymm filled forests and countless other dangers to reach Cydonia, with one goal: to find her parents." Miranda told he pair. "I told her I would take her to them, but, I can't take her to her legitimate parents because they're dead, which I had previously told Wanda. They've been dead since she was born."

"Oh my." Anna muttered, shocked.

"Wanda...is special. I'm sure you have both noticed this, and regrettably, she has nobody to look after her, nor no real family." Miranda said to them. "Except...you two."

"...What are you saying?" David asked suspiciously.

"What I'm trying to say, is that you two are the two Wanda has been searching for. You're...the parents she's been looking for."

* * *

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* * *

 **OOOHHH! PLOT TWIST! So, Wanda's parents are David and Anna?! How? Can they handle the responsibility? How will Wanda respond to the news? Find out in the penultimate chapter!**

 **Also, I'd like to apologise for the lateness of this chapter, I had a little writers block trying to wrap up plot lines in the story, which I tried to fit in this chapter. So, instead of having 16 chapters, this will have 17, and maybe an epilogue too. Again, sorry for the lateness of the chapter.**

 **Just a note, I have created a wikia based on this universe that you can use to find out about the characters, locations and most importantly, physical appearances.**

 **The website is:** **the-xiao-long-chronicles .wikia wiki/ Main_Page**

 **(Remove the spaces in the URL so it will work)**

 **And remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in chapter fifteen!**


	16. Skyfall Part 3

**PREVIOUSLY ON EVERYBODY LIES...**

* * *

David entered his house, sighing heavily as he closed the door behind him. Being with Animi, just talking to him, had visibly drained David of any hope for Inhumans, knowing what he had done and why he did it. Such a big thing to do for such a small thing to happen. He walked up the stairs and entered his bedroom, he stopped when he saw Anna sitting on the bed, ow dressed in her usual attire, with Miranda and Wanda standing across the room.

"David, glad you could join us. We've been waiting for you." Miranda told him.

"Okay. What's this about?" David asked, sitting on the bed next to Anna. Miranda took a moment, taking a couple of deep breaths, as if she really didn't want to tell them something, but she knew she had to.

"Wanda has travelled across grymm filled forests and countless other dangers to reach Cydonia, with one goal: to find her parents." Miranda told he pair. "I told her I would take her to them, but, I can't take her to her legitimate parents because they're dead, which I had previously told Wanda. They've been dead since she was born."

"Oh my." Anna muttered, shocked.

"Wanda...is special. I'm sure you have both noticed this, and regrettably, she has nobody to look after her, nor no real family." Miranda said to them. "Except...you two."

"...What are you saying?" David asked suspiciously.

"What I'm trying to say, is that you two are the two Wanda has been searching for. You're...the parents she's been looking for."

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

* * *

 **DAY 143**

* * *

"I'm sorry...what?" David whispered, too shocked to speak up. Anna was too shocked to speak.

"Wanda's been living on her own since she was a baby, and only her grandmother has kept her safe and alive. Now, she can't rely on a voice on her head, she needs real parents. Genetically, you two are them." Miranda explained.

"How? How can _we_ be her parents? She's, like, 7 years old!" Anna exclaimed.

"No I'm not." Wanda spoke up. "I'm 18."

"...no you're not. You're clearly still a child." Anna couldn't believe it.

"Anna, have you ever heard of the Immortals?" Miranda asked her, who nodded. "Children's stories about individuals who could live for thousands of years while barely ageing, they're true. The Immortals are real, and Wanda is one of them."

"That's impossible." David denied. "Qrow's told me about all these stories, he told me they were myths."

"Yeah, he would tell you that. He can't tell a child about another species living among them, who look just like them, but are immensely more powerful." Miranda explained.

"So, how old is Wanda? How can she still look like that? And what about other Immortals?" Anna asked.

"Legend says that Immortals age in triangle order, so when they're 250, they'll only look a couple of years older than you. I think Wanda's ageing is altered due to her upbringing, so she ages 1 year physically every...2.5 years, roughly." Miranda sighed. "The thing is, all the Immortals, except Wanda, are dead. She's the last of her kind." David leant forward.

"You're lying." David told her.

"I'm sorry?" Miranda asked, confused.

"Everybody Lies." David repeated his credo. "Wanda cannot be the last Immortal, if she is one, because she's been talking to her 'Grandma'." David stood up, and pointed at Miranda. "You're an Immortal. You're Wanda's grandma."

"What?" Wanda asked, shocked.

"...It's true." Miranda admitted, looking down in shame. "I've lived for over a thousand years, such a long time for a single person. I'm a lonely person, and the only thing I could do for the past two decades is keep my granddaughter safe, but now, she needs real parents. Both of you are them."

"But how? We're not Immortals." Anna told Miranda.

"No, but you're Inhumans." Miranda reminded David and Anna. "You see...there's a man, a scientist, called Reginald Gordon-"

"I met him." David added.

"-and he wanted to create enhanced humans to fight the evils of Remnant, but could only do it in a 'bad' way, since Salem is always watching him. Inhumans are made by adding Immortal DNA to Human DNA, ratio is like 0.01 to 99.9, but that tiny little difference makes you _you_. I was the blood donor for the experimentation, so both of you were created by parts of me."

"So...we're like your children-"

"No." Miranda stopped David. "Please...don't refer to yourself as that. I'm not proud of what I took part of, and I only did it because I owe Ozpin my life, but please believe me when I say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the pain you've been put through, and all the suffering and horrors you've faced. But...it's for the greater good."

"So where do we stand now?" Anna asked, finally beginning to accept the situation.

"All three of you are related, Wanda my granddaughter and you two coming from my genetic material." Miranda sighed. "But, it's not up to me, I won't force you two to become parents before your baby is born, and I won't force Wanda to live with you if she doesn't accept it. It's up to you three." Miranda told them. "I'll...leave you to discuss this in peace." Miranda exited the room, leaving David and Anna with Wanda. The three of them were in a brief awkward silence.

"...You came all this way to find us?" Anna asked Wanda, patting on the bed between David and Anna. Wanda nervously shuffled to the bed, sitting next to them.

"I-I just want to find my family." Wanda told them, sniffling a little.

"Look, I know we may not be the ideal parents, what you're looking for, but...if you'd like...we can try and be a family." Anna suggested.

"Y-You would do that? For me?" Wanda asked hopefully.

"We're going to have a baby soon anyway. " Anna told her with a small smile. "Wanda, if you want, we can be the parents you want." Anna offered.

"I-I..." Wanda stuttered, and hugged Anna. "Please!" Anna hugged Wanda back, rubbing her hair a little. Anna turned and looked at David.

"David?" Anna asked.

"I just- he was right. Everything he said, it was true. I can't believe the Immortals are real." David told Anna.

"Who said that?" Anna asked.

"Animi Imperio." David answered.

"You did _what_!?" Miranda yelled, slamming open the door. "You _talked_ to him!? When!?"

"J-Just before I got here." David told her, slightly afraid.

"Fuck!" Miranda yelled, running out of the room, and out of the house. David got up, taking Anna's hand.

"I've got to find out what's happened." David told Anna.

"Go." Anna told him, holding onto Wanda. David gave Anna a quick kiss and ran after Miranda.

* * *

Animi whistled to himself, smiling slightly at the small hole in his cell.

"Damn David, ruined _everything_!" Animi stopped whistling and looked around the corner at the person complaining.

"Who's that? King Taub?" Animi asked.

"Not a king anymore, thanks to David and his _meddling_ team mates." Lexus exclaimed.

"Look, to be fair, you kind of deserve it. You and Miranda put me in here. Why'd you do that anyway? I could have helped." Animi pointed out.

"You could have helped, nobody would have opposed me." Lexus thought, smiling slightly. "It's all David's fault, I just want to _slit his throat_!"

"For gods sake, shut up!" Animi yelled, and Lexus shut his mouth. "If you're so determined to kill David, go kill David."

 _ **SPLASH!**_

Animi narrowed his eyes curiously, and they widened when he saw liquid metal creating a pool on the floor, Lexus walking out, breathing heavily and angrily. Lexus stormed off, up the stairs and out of the prison.

"Hey! Hey! Wait!" Animi yelled, but Lexus was already gone. "I've got to learn to shut my fucking mouth."

* * *

"So, what exactly is Skyfall?" Vanessa asked Alex as the two of them walked along one of the paths in Cydonia, the sun beating down on them.

"I've never been to Skyfall personally, but it's an abandoned dust factory that a few groups of survivors took and built up to keep safe from the Grymm. As an old Schnee Dust factory, it's naturally built to be defended and protected from terrorist attacks, I'm sure Grymm are unable to get in." Alex explained.

"Okay, I understand that, but why do David and Anna need to go?" Vanessa asked.

"It's got less people, but it's more...technologically advanced compared to us. Heck, we don't even have an ultrasound machine. Anything else?" Alex asked.

"No, I think I'm all caught up." Vanessa told him. "What about that girl you and Anna brought in?"

"Her? She's all better, last I saw her she was with Miranda with you." Alex answered. "And speak of the devil."

"Huh?" Vanessa asked, and looked down the path to see Anna walking with Wanda. "Oh."

"Hey." Anna greeted, giving a small wave.

"Hey, we were just talking about you two." Alex told Anna, and knelt down to Wanda's height. "How you feeling?"

"I'm better. I found my parents!" Wanda exclaimed.

"Really? Who?" Alex asked.

"David and Anna!" Wanda said happily. Alex and Vanessa stared at Anna, shocked.

"It's...complicated. We can go to my house where it's a bit more private. It's...something _very_ complicated." Anna told the two of them.

"In our lifetime, we've heard some weird stuff. I'm not really that busy, you?" Vanessa asked Alex, who shook his head.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

Miranda ran down the stairs of the prison, running over to Animi's cell, Animi himself slowly backing away. "What did you do!?" Miranda yelled angrily, putting her hand on the red button.

"HEY! HEY! HEY!" Animi yelled, holding out his hands. "Don't. Do. That...Please."

"Answer me. _Now_." Miranda ordered, her hand hovering over the button. David walked up to the cell, standing a bit behind Miranda.

"Okay...just...please don't." Animi took a deep breath. "David came to me to find out what I had done to put me here, and I got a little too overexcited, to meet another person. And then, since the glass was broken, I told Lexus to do what he wanted to do."

"And...what did he want to do?" David asked.

"He want's to kill _you_ , David." Animi answered. "That lunatic though, who knows what else he'll do." Miranda moved her hand away from the button.

"You try to get out, I'll make this button send out 10,000,000 volts into that room. _Fry_ you. Got it?" Miranda threatened.

"I swear. I'd rather not die today." Animi promised. Miranda turned and stormed out of the prison, David quickly following after her.

"Find Anna, Alex and Vanessa. Search the entire community for Lexus and bring him back alive. I need to find Linda and warn her and the rest of the civilians." Miranda informed David. "Look, that liquid on the floor is metal, Lexus' semblance is to control the matter of any material, and whatever Animi did to him made him go insane. Be careful."

"I will." David told her, and when the two reached the surface they ran in different directions, David to his house and Miranda to the castle.

* * *

"Wow." Alex said, dumbfound. "So...Wanda is part of an ancient species with seemingly endless powers?"

"Yes." Anna confirmed.

"And...she's your daughter?" Alex asked, confused.

"Well, sort of, kind of, yes. She's not fully comfortable calling me and David 'Mom' and 'Dad' yet, but I'm happy with that. " Anna tried to elaborate. "Now that I think about it, it's not going to be too easy looking after her."

"I can help." Vanessa offered. "I looked after Chastity since she was a baby, trust me, raising Wanda will be a breeze."

"Thank you." Anna thanked Vanessa with a smile.

"How are you feeling though? With the baby?" Alex asked.

"Better, still get morning sickness every other day, but every day is a day closer to this little miracle." Anna answered, rubbing her stomach.

"You thought of any names yet?" Vanessa asked her.

"No, but if it's a boy, I get to name him. If it's a girl, David get's to name her." Anna told Vanessa. "Personally, I hope it's a girl."

"Well, you won't know without an ultrasound machine." Alex noted. "Have you talked to David about Skyfall?"

"No, what's Skyfall?" Anna asked him.

"It's a community, better equipment, but a less liveable environment. You'll need to go there for your baby." Alex explained.

"I'll keep that in mind." Anna noted. "Where about is Skyfall-"

"Anna!" She turned towards the door as David ran in, Alex and Vanessa looking at him too. "Thank god you're alright."

"Why? What's happening?" Anna asked, worried.

"Lexus got loose, and he's out to kill me and probably my friends." David told them. "Come on, I need help finding him."

"Okay." Anna told him, getting up along with Alex and Vanessa.

"Anna, come with me and we'll search north, Alex and Vanessa, you search south. Be careful, his semblance is active, he can alter matter of any material." David ordered.

"On it." Alex complied, him and Vanessa running out of the house and started searching for Lexus.

"How did he get out?" Anna asked.

"Animi told him to do what he wanted, unintentionally making Lexus insane. We have to find him before he causes any damage." David told Anna. "Anna, stay by me. He may be old, but Lexus is dangerous, even for us."

"I will." Anna promised. The two of them ran out of their house to the north of Cydonia to search for Lexus.

* * *

Lexus walked up to the gate, breathing heavily as John turned from looking outside the community and down at the previous king. He narrowed his eyes and leaped off the tower, approaching Lexus. "Lexus, what are you doing out of your cell?"

"Stand down, John." Lexus ordered, not taking his eyes off the gate.

"No." John declined, raising his assault rifle. "Stay back, do not approach the gate."

"I said stand down!" Lexus yelled, raising his arm and melting John's weapon and re-hardening at his feet, pinning him to the ground. Lexus ignored John's yells of protest and stood directly in front of the gate, and grabbed two of the bars. The bars and chains vibrated for several seconds until they collapsed to the floor in a large puddle. Lexus smirked and walked away, stopping to look at a terrified John. "Oh, I can't leave you out here defenceless." Lexus told him, and summoned the liquid metal to form around John, hardening around his body only leaving a pair of holes to breath out of. Satisfied, Lexus searched for David and Linda to kill them.

* * *

Miranda entered the throne room, running over to where Linda was sitting and typing on her scroll. "Linda!" Miranda yelled, getting her attention.

"Miranda?" Linda asked, confused. "What's the matter?"

"It's Lexus, he's escaped from prison and he's coming to kill David, and unfortunately, probably you too." Miranda told the queen, who took in a breath in fear.

"I-Where is he now?" Linda asked, recomposing herself.

"I don't know. David and his friends are searching for him, but likely underestimate how dangerous he really is." Miranda told Linda. "Come on, I need to get you somewhere safe."

"No." Linda objected. "I need to warn my people. Come on, we haven't much time."

"Linda, I must object-"

"If he comes, you can defend us, I know you can Miranda. Now come on." Linda gestured to the door, Miranda reluctantly following.

* * *

Alex and Vanessa ran over to the main gate, or to their surprise and horror, the lack of a gate. Looking at the floor, they saw several trails of blood along the floor. "Oh no." Vanessa whispered.

"Oh no." Alex muttered, for a different reason. "John! Where are you?!" Alex called out, and noticed the metal statue nearby. "Oh fuck!" He ran over to it, slamming his fist on it, but not denting the metal. "John! You in there!"

"What has he done?" Vanessa muttered to herself, looking at the man that Lexus had trapped. "Alex, stand back, I'm going to try something." Without a word, Alex obeyed and moved aside as Vanessa calmed her breathing and held out her hands, a faint brown glow of her aura appearing on her hands. After a few moments of heavy focus and concentration, the metal surrounding John shattered and fell to the ground as John gasped heavily for air.

"John!" Alex exclaimed, running over and hugging his older brother. "What happened?"

"It was Taub, he's gone insane, he melted the gate and is doing god knows what else." John said frantically.

"Hey!" They turned to see David and Anna running over. "I overheard, we need to find Taub, now." David told them

"What do we do?" Vanessa asked, David taking a moment to think.

"John, stay here and make sure no grymm get inside the gate. Try and barricade it." David ordered John, who nodded. "Alex, Vanessa, find all the grymm that got inside and get rid of them, but try and keep quiet, we don't want to draw attention." The two of them nodded. "Me and Anna will find Taub, and end this. Good luck." David finished, gesturing Anna to follow him as they ran towards the castle, Alex and Vanessa following the blood trail and John running towards the empty space where the gate was.

* * *

"Can I have your attention please?" Linda called out as several dozen citizens stood outside the castle, afraid and confused to what was going on. Indiana jogged over to Kiley, who stood at the back of the crowd.

"What's going on?" He asked her.

"I don't know. She just called everyone here." Kiley told Indiana, the two of them turning to Linda.

"Everyone, our previous king has escaped from prison, and is rampaging through the community." Linda told them, the citizens quickly murmuring quietly, fear in their voices. "Right now, it is important that you all remain calm. David and his friends are searching for him, and I promise that they will find him before he finds us."

* * *

Alex and Vanessa ran behind one of the houses and hopped into the back garden, a group of a dozen grymm previously mindlessly wondering around, but now growling and walking towards them. Vanessa took out her revolver, but Alex pushed it down.

"Don't." Alex ordered her. "The gunfire will draw more, and if John hasn't fixed the gate, that won't be good news." Vanessa nodded and holstered her revolver, she flicked her right arm and a dagger slid down her wrist and into her hand, Alex grabbing one from his belt. Vanessa lunged at the nearest grymm, stabbing it in the side of the head and throwing it to the ground, and stabbed another one through the base of the skull.

Alex kicked one in the back of the knee, dropping the grymm to it's knees and stabbed it through the side of the skull, and spun around, stabbing another grymm through the jaw. He turned to see a grymm reaching from behind Vanessa, who was killing another grymm. He ran and drop kicked the grymm, sending it flying across the garden. Vanessa knelt down and stabbed it in the skull.

"Thanks." Vanessa thanked, sheathing her dagger, giving him a smile.

"No problem." Alex answered. "That all of them?"

"Looks like it. Come on." Vanessa gestured to the castle, the two of them began running towards the castle. But when they passed one of the houses, a grymm that got lost grabbed Vanessa by the back. "Ahhh!" She screamed.

"Vanessa!" Alex yelled. He ran forwards and grabbed the grymm just as it lunged for her neck and threw it off her and into the wall, grabbing it by the head and slamming it against the wall a few times, splattering blood against him, and throwing it on the ground. He turned to Vanessa. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes." She whispered.

"Come on, not done yet." Alex told her. "Are you up for this?" Vanessa took a deep breath."

"Y-Yes. Yes, let's go." Vanessa told him, the two of them ran towards the castle.

* * *

"How do we know he's even a threat!?" One of the Cydonians yelled. "He's ran the community for years, everything was fine until David turned up!"

"Did you forget that David stopped the grymm when they broke into Cydonia?" Miranda asked. "It doesn't matter what he might have done wrong, but what matters is Lexus broke out of prison, and he _is_ dangerous."

"I am NOT DANGEROUS!" They all turned to see Lexus approaching, covered head-to-toe in blood. "David does NOT belong here, he IS NOT _ONE OF US_!"

"Lexus, you need to stop, now." Miranda told him angrily, approaching him.

"Don't you dare approach me, freak." Lexus told Miranda.

"Don't you call me a 'freak', you psychopath. You have _no_ idea what I could do to you." Miranda threatened.

"Get down!" David yelled, raising his dust rifle and fired at Lexus. Lexus turned and held out his hand, the bullets melting into liquid dust. David dissipated the gun and lunged at Lexus, who instead solidified the liquid dust when David stepped in it, pinning him.

"Stop!" Miranda yelled. Lexus grabbed David's Lightsabre, activated it and slashed Miranda's neck.

"Miranda!" David yelled, reaching out, but unable to move. As Lexus swung the lightsabre at David, he was tackled and pinned by Indiana. Linda ran over to Miranda, who had her hand on her throat, stopping the blood from spilling out. "You bastard!"

"SHE'S A MONSTER! JUST LIKE YOU AND HER!" Lexus yelled, struggling to move underneath Indiana.

"David..." Linda whispered, holding onto an unconscious Miranda. "Do it." David summoned his dust pistol and pointed it at Lexus' head.

 _ **BANG!**_

David, surprised, dissipated his pistol and looked to his side. Vanessa lowered her revolver, the barrel smoking from the gunshot. Alex grabbed David and pulled him out of the solidified dust, shattering it.

"Thanks." David thanked.

"No problem." Alex told David, who walked forward.

"This man, your king, has just tried to kill one of the most important people in Cydonia. The king who likely sworn to protect you all, keep you safe from everything outside those walls, and here he is, lying dead on the floor on orders of the queen. He calls me, Anna and Miranda monsters, yet he is. You've been worshipping a monster, and none of you, not one, stood up against him. Last time I spoke to you, I told you all 'How many of you do I have to kill to save your lives?', well, it's one. Him. You can learn, and change, and fight for yourselves without being held back by him, you can all learn how to survive against the grymm and all the other threats outside and inside the walls. You'll all survive. _We'll all survive_."

* * *

Alex knocked on Vanessa's bedroom door, opening it and walking in to find Vanessa sitting on her bed with a neutral expression. "Hey."

"Hey." Vanessa replied. Alex sighed and sat down next to her.

"You alright?" Alex asked.

"I don't know." Vanessa admitted. "Ever since I found out my sister died, I wanted to kill Lexus. I held a complete hatred and lust for his blood, every day since we locked him away. And now...he's dead. The first human I've killed, and I just...I don't know. When you live in this life, you could die any moment, heck I almost died a few hours ago, you have to achieve what you want to do. But now, I've avenged my sister, I just don't know what to do now." Vanessa remained silent for a few seconds. "When I talked once with Miranda, when I became the leader of my team, she told me that I need to figure out what I want. I wanted to kill Lexus, and I have. Now, I'm thinking about what I want now..."

"And what do you want?" Alex asked her. She turned to him, and she knew what she wanted, what she _needed_. She lunged forward and kissed him deeply, greatly surprising Alex, but quickly kissed back. She pushed him down onto her bed, and straddled his chest.

"I want _you_."

* * *

Anna entered her bedroom to find David packing a bag, having changed into fresh clothes and a back fleece jacket. "David?"

"Hey Anna." David said, fastening the bag shut.

"You're leaving." Anna knew.

"I have to." David told her. "Reginald told me what I have to do, to defeat all the bad people and save the world..."

"That's not it, is it?" Anna said to David.

"Lexus was right. Ever since we arrived, this community has been faced with dangers and chaos that follows us wherever we go. It's better if I leave, at least for a while, until this community can recover." David explained.

"But...what about us? What about our baby?" Anna asked him.

"Anna, I swear on my life, I will come back for you and the baby. I may have screwed up a lot of things in my life, but being a father isn't something I'm going to do." David promised, he put the bag on his back and handed Anna a scroll. "If you ever need me, or the baby will be born soon, contact me, and I promise I will come back as soon as I can." Anna took the scroll, and wrapped her arms around his neck, the two of them kissing passionately. A minute later, they released from each other.

"I love you." Anna told David, stepping back and wiping away a tear.

"I love you too." David told Anna. "I'll see you soon." In an instant, he disappeared into a cloud of yellow smoke.

* * *

 **And there we have it, David disappears from Cydonia and reappears in Patch, as seen in the most recent chapter of "Almost One of a Kind", tying it all in together. Now, originally, I would wait for the next chapter to fit with Volume 4 of RWBY, but since we know the time skip, I know that the next chapter can come out soon, so keep an eye out for the final chapter of "Everybody Lies".**

 **Also, I would like to apologise for the time it took to write and release this chapter, and because the content of the chapter (I think) is lower quality than most. I had a bit of writers block, and I wrote the trailer for a future story, "After the Fall", which you should check out.**

 **Just a note, I have created a wikia based on this universe that you can use to find out about the characters, locations and most importantly, physical appearances.**

 **The website is:** **the-xiao-long-chronicles .wikia wiki/ Main_Page**

 **(Remove the spaces in the URL so it will work)**

 **And remember to follow, favourite and leave a review, and I'll see you all in the final chapter!**


	17. Skyfall Part 4 - Finale

**PREVIOUSLY ON EVERYBODY LIES...**

* * *

Anna entered her bedroom to find David packing a bag, having changed into fresh clothes and a back fleece jacket. "David?"

"Hey Anna." David said, fastening the bag shut.

"You're leaving." Anna knew.

"I have to." David told her. "Reginald told me what I have to do, to defeat all the bad people and save the world..."

"That's not it, is it?" Anna said to David.

"Lexus was right. Ever since we arrived, this community has been faced with dangers and chaos that follows us wherever we go. It's better if I leave, at least for a while, until this community can recover." David explained.

"But...what about us? What about our baby?" Anna asked him.

"Anna, I swear on my life, I will come back for you and the baby. I may have screwed up a lot of things in my life, but being a father isn't something I'm going to do." David promised, he put the bag on his back and handed Anna a scroll. "If you ever need me, or the baby will be born soon, contact me, and I promise I will come back as soon as I can." Anna took the scroll, and wrapped her arms around his neck, the two of them kissing passionately. A minute later, they released from each other.

"I love you." Anna told David, stepping back and wiping away a tear.

"I love you too." David told Anna. "I'll see you soon." In an instant, he disappeared into a cloud of yellow smoke.

* * *

 **THE XIAO LONG CHRONICLES**

 **VOLUME 3 - EVERYBODY LIES**

 **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

* * *

 **DAY 300**

* * *

Anna shuffled slightly in bed, uncomfortably trying to sleep. She sighed and opened her eyes, lying back and looking at the ceiling of the room. Anna leant over to her bedside table and grabbed her scroll, unlocking it and searching through the contacts. She selected one of the contacts and called, holding the phone up to her ear. It ringed half a dozen times, but ultimately didn't accept the call. She sighed sadly and put the scroll back, lying back down on the bed.

"David...where are you?"

* * *

Alex and Vanessa walked along the path in Cydonia, hand in hand, talking to each other about recent events. Or, the lack of.

"So...any plans for later?" Alex asked her.

"Besides training and avoiding spiders, not much. You?" Vanessa asked him.

"Pestering Miranda, scouting runs, and enjoying time with you." Alex answered, getting a playful nudge from Vanessa. "Although, we should probably go check on Anna."

"Yeah, she's been a bit down for a while." Vanessa agreed. "Come on." The two of them turned and walked towards Anna's house.

* * *

Anna tied the laces on her boots and got up, stretching and groaning a little, rubbing her eyes. She looked in the mirror, internally groaning at how big she'd gotten because of her baby, but also smiled and rubbed her stomach, thinking about her soon-to-be baby.

 _ **KNOCK KNOCK**_

Anna's train of thought was stopped at the door knocking. She sighed and exited the room, walked down the stairs and opened it, greeting Alex and Vanessa, letting them both in. They entered and sat down in the sitting room, Anna opposite Alex and Vanessa.

"How you been Anna?" Alex asked.

"Umm...honestly, not great. David hasn't called back since I contacted him to come back a week ago. I'm afraid that something has happened to him, or his friends. I mean...what if he's dead?"

"No, Anna, you can't think like that." Vanessa objected. "You know David's too stubborn to die." The three of them chuckled a little. "He's got a reason, he always does, to not be here right now. But, he promised to come back for you and the baby."

"But the baby's due any day now, and we still need to get to Skyfall first." Anna told them.

"I know it's not my say, but if we need to go to Skyfall, we should go soon. Something could go wrong-"

"We're not leaving without David." Anna cut off Alex. "He promised to be here, so he will."

"Okay, if you're so insistent, then we'll stay." Alex told Anna, sighing. "How's Wanda?"

"She's still asleep. I'll tell you, Wanda sleeps like the dead, I can't wake her up." Anna joked. "She'll be up soon though."

"You want to go check on her?" Vanessa asked.

"Yeah, probably a good idea. Back in a minute." Anna told the two of them as she got up, walked up the stairs and into Wanda's room. Anna smiled a little as she watched Wanda sleep peacefully, breathing softly against the pillow. Anna walked over to Wanda and knelt down.

"Wanda." Anna said to her, not getting a response. "Hey, Wanda."

"Huh?" Wanda slowly opened her eyes. "W-what's-what's the matter?"

"It's time to get up." Anna told Wanda, who groaned in annoyance.

"Nooooooo...let me sleep..." Wanda begged, pulling the cover over her head, causing Anna to chuckle a little.

"Come on, kiddo, you don't want to be up all night." Wanda growled annoyingly. "Come on." Anna pulled the cover off, showing a tired and annoyed Wanda. Wanda sighed and leant up, rubbing her eyes. She yawned and glanced across the room, and her eyes widened.

"David!" Wanda yelled. Anna immediately turned around to see David, standing in the doorway, smiling at the two of them.

"Hey Anna." David said to her. Anna stood up and waled up to him.

She punched him.

"Where the _hell_ have you been!?" Anna yelled as David rubbed his cheek. "I contacted you a week ago to come back, and you haven't accepted a call since!"

"Anna...I'm sorry." David started. "I wanted to come back as soon as you asked, but I couldn't. Me, Ruby and the rest were in a village and I couldn't just leave, it was overrun by a really heavy amount of Grimm and I couldn't just leave them. And I had to explain to them why I had to go, which took time and convincing, but I literally just got their approval to come back. Anna, I am so, _so_ sorry that I couldn't come back earlier. Please don't hate me." David begged. Anna smiled and laughed.

"How could I hate you?" Anna asked, hugging him tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too." David told her, and the two of them kissed passionately. "And hey, how much longer for our baby?"

"A day or two." Anna answered.

"I can tell, you look like you've swallowed an Ursa." David joked, getting a playful hit from Anna. "Have you been to Skyfall yet?"

"No, we were waiting for you." Anna admitted. "But I've been good, Doc has been checking whenever he can."

"Good, good." David nodded, and looked over at Wanda. "Hey kiddo."

"David!" Wanda shot out of bed and hugged his legs. David chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"Oh, our happy family."

* * *

"Alright, you get a million lien, but... every time you hear someone complain...your inner thighs burn intensely!" Hecate announced.

" _Vhat_ is _vrong_ with you and sexual references?" Xerxes asked annoyingly. "And no, I _vouldn't_ do it, I complain enough."

"What kind of burning? Like, good burning, or bad burning?" Sky asked.

"Oh, it's an _amazing_ burning, like on Saturday night. Remember~?" Hecate teased.

"Yeah, I do. And if it's every time someone complains, then no." Sky declined.

" _Bo-ring_! What about you, Noir?" Hecate asked.

"No- _no_." They both answered, Noir continuing to mutter to herself.

"Oh, I've got a good one! You get a million lien, but-"

"HECATE! _VILL_ YOU JUST SHUT UP FOR FIVE SECONDS FOR FUCK SAKE!" Xerxes screamed, finally breaking. Hecate and Sky looked at Xerxes, terrified. Even Noir was a little shook.

"...sorry." Hecate muttered quietly.

"He's back." Noir spoke up. "He's back, he's back, he's back, he's back"

"Who?" Sky asked her.

"The Inhuman, he's come home...but there's more...oh no." Noir muttered worryingly.

" _Vhat_ is it?" Xerxes asked Noir asked, leaning down to the petite girl.

"They must not go to Skyfall."

* * *

"David, you son of a bitch." Alex said with a smile, hugging his friend. "It's been so boring here without you, bring your chaos back."

"I missed you too." David said sarcastically, pushing Alex off. Without a moment to breath, Vanessa hugged him.

"He may not say it, but he missed you, so did I." Vanessa told him.

"Thanks. At least _someone_ cares." David said, glaring at Alex as Vanessa let go. "So, what did I miss?"

"Not much, no grymm have gotten in, nobody's died, nobody's been bitten. Just...nothing really." Vanessa told David.

"Uhh, Vanessa, I think you missed _one_ little detail." Alex reminded, emphasising to himself.

"Huh? Oh! Me and Alex started dating the same night you left." Vanessa remembered. "It feels right, I just forgot it was so recent."

"Good for you two, you two seem good together." David admitted. "Anything else?"

"Prisoners are still in prison, Linda's in charge still and I still bother Miranda. But yeah, nothing much." Alex added.

"Wow, I'm actually kind of _glad_ I left, at least I actually did something." David joked.

"Oh, don't start!" Anna complained, walking into the sitting room with Wanda. "You just got back."

"I know." David sighed, Anna sitting down next to him with Wanda sitting on the floor by his feet.

"David...I think we should go to Skyfall now." Anna told him.

"Right. But, we should let Linda and Miranda know first." David advised. "Come on then." He helped Anna up as Wanda got to her feet. "You coming with?"

"Might as well, something to do." Alex said, he and Vanessa joining them as they left.

* * *

"...we can expand the walls on the south and east side where it's most damaged and replace with new walls." Linda told Miranda, pointing at a blueprint of Cydonia, the two of them in Miranda's office.

"But some of the plates on the south wall have holes in, so they should be repaired first before expanding." Miranda advised.

"Right, you're right." Linda sighed, rubbing her eyes. "We still need a blacksmith to make the walls."

"And we need the metal. I'll send Alex out to find metal." Miranda told Linda.

 _ **KNOCK KNOCK**_

"Come in!" Miranda yelled. David opened the door and walked in with Anna, Wanda, Alex and Vanessa. "David, good to see you've come back."

"Good to be back." David told her. "Look, I know I've just got back, but I need to leave with Anna."

"To Skyfall?" Linda asked, David nodded. "I contacted the leader of their community a few weeks ago to let them know, just tell them who you are and they'll let you in."

"Perfect!" David thanked. "But, Miranda, can I ask you a favour?"

"Of course." Miranda nodded.

"Can you look after Wanda, I don't really want to take her outside those walls." David told her.

"B-But you just got back. And I can't get bitten!" Wanda complained.

"Wanda, I know that, but none of us truly understand what you are yet." David told her.

"I'm Wanda, isn't that enough?" Wanda asked.

"In your case, no. I just want to keep you safe. You trust me, right?" David asked her.

"Yeah." Wanda muttered.

"Good girl." David hugged her.

"I'll keep an eye on her." Miranda promised.

"Thank you." Anna thanked.

"Well, off to Skyfall we go!" Alex cheered.

"Not so fast, Alex." Miranda stopped him. "Me and Linda need you to go on a supply run."

"Now?" Alex groaned.

"Yes, unless you want the walls to fall again." Miranda said sarcastically. "Vanessa, go with him and make sure he doesn't die."

"Sure thing." Vanessa said with a smile. Alex and Vanessa left, Alex nodding to David.

"Good luck you two, we'll see you soon." Linda told them with a smile. David nodded and Anna waved as they left.

* * *

"Hey! Someone let us out!" Hecate yelled. "David and his friends are going to _die_ if you don't listen to us!"

"Hecate, nobody can hear you, except us. And frankly, you're hurting my ears." Sky groaned.

" _Ve_ can't just do nothing." Xerxes told them. "Noir, how do we get out? Or at least tell someone _something_?"

"None of us can..." Noir muttered. "We aren't meant to stop them, it's already happened. I've seen it."

"Well, that's just _great_!" Hecate complained. "What now?"

"I just hope they make it..."

* * *

"Where are all the cars?" David asked, looking at the empty spot where the vehicles were kept, just outside the gate.

"Alex crashed most of them, the others broke due to age." Anna told him.

"Why am I not surprised." David sighed.

"Indiana's out with Kiley looking for others outside the walls, maybe they'll come back." Anna suggested.

"That's our best bet, unless you want to walk." David joked.

"Yeah, like that's going to happ-" Anna froze.

"Anna? What is it?" David asked.

"Aaaaaah!" Anna cried, falling to her knees, David ran over and caught her.

"Anna, what is it?" David asked hastily.

"It's the baby." Anna whispered. "It's coming. B-But it's too soon."

"Anna, it's going to be fine." David assured.

"Hey! Someone open the gate!" David turned to the gate and helped Anna walked with him over to it, opening it. Indiana stood at the gate, Kiley leaning out of the car passenger window. "David! You're back."

"Good to see you too. Come on, we've got to go." David told him, opening the gate fully and helping Anna over to the car.

"Why? Where?" Indiana asked.

"Skyfall. Anna's going into labour and we need to get there as fast as we can. How fast can you get us there?" David asked him.

"As fast as we can. Get in." Indiana told them as he closed the gate. David helped Anna into the car and got in next to her while Indiana got into the front. He turned the car around and drove to Skyfall.

* * *

Alex pulled aside a bunch of bushes, while Vanessa impatiently watched, tapping her foot on the ground. "Alex, what are you doing?" She turned to the side to see a grymm approaching, which she swiftly killed and walked back, tapping her foot again.

"Well, I wrecked all the cars, so I've got a back up vehicle for emergencies." Alex explained to her, moving aside the final bush to reveal a black and silver motorbike. It looked old.

"You have _got_ to be joking." Vanessa explained. "Can you even drive that thing?"

"I can drive anything." Alex told her, lifting it up and getting on. "Come on then." Vanessa rolled her eyes and got on the back, wrapping her arms around his stomach. "Hold on." He turned on the engine and drove off, Vanessa tightening her grip.

"Where did you get this thing?" Vanessa asked.

"I was on a run a few months ago and found it, albeit damaged. I spent a few months finding parts and repairing it, and here we are. And hey, at least it works." Alex noted.

"Wait...are you telling me this might not have worked?" Vanessa asked, somewhat angrily. "What if it blew up?"

"We'd just shake it off, we've been through worse." Alex joked.

"I hate you."

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

"You have to help me get out- _it's too dangerous_ -we have to try..." Noir muttered to herself.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing, what good will that do?" Hecate asked Xerxes.

" _Ve_. Can't. Leave." Xerxes repeated, banging her head on the bars with each word.

"Yes we can! You're strong, just rip the bars off!" Hecate exclaimed.

"You don't think I've tried, they're made of Ultramanium. Can't be broken, cracked, dented or even scratched. I'm sorry, but _ve're_ on our own." Xerxes apologised. "Noir has seen the future, it can't be changed."

"No, no, no, no." Noir muttered. "I don't want the future, I don't want it."

"What is it?" Sky asked.

"She's coming...the other side... _the demon_...she can save him." Noir whispered.

"Then do it." Xerxes told Noir. Noir nodded and walked over to the wall, putting her hand on the wall, closed her eyes, taking a calm breath.

" _Demon..._ " Noir whispered. From underneath her hand, a pale white hand linked hands with Noir's and flipped. Xerxes immediately backed away from the Demon as the lights flickered, and the Demon disappeared, leaving purple particles in the air.

* * *

"I'm boooooooorrrrrrreeeeeeedddd!" Wanda cried. Miranda sighed, rubbing her forehead, sitting at her desk and drawing up plans for Cydonia.

"Wanda, you have a scroll, play a game or something." Miranda sighed, continuing her work.

"But there aren't any games." Wanda told her, walking up to and leaning on the desk.

"...Good point. I don't really play video games." Miranda noted.

"Why couldn't I go with David? I want to see Skyfall." Wanda complained, pouting.

"It's dangerous. Even us Immortals have our limits, although there aren't exactly many." Miranda thought out loud. "You'll see them soon, with a baby brother or sister."

"Oooooh! I always wanted a brother or sister! It's so boring being on my own." Wanda muttered. Miranda sighed with a small smile, getting up from her desk.

"Sorry my child didn't have another child. But who knows, maybe there are others-" Miranda was cut off as a cloud of purple particles appeared, and the Demon turned to them.

"Who's that?" Wanda asked, pointing at the Demon.

"Get back!" Miranda yelled, pulling Wanda behind her as they looked at the figure that appeared in the room.

The Demon stood at 5 foot tall with pale white skin, with grey and black patches scattered across her skin. It's eyes were pure black with black veins, the only hint of colour was tiny purple pupils at the centre of the eyes, with purple tattoos above and below the eyes to make a slit shape. Across it's face was a large scar, stitched together from the central forehead to the bottom of the left cheek.

It had long black hair which was significantly thicker than normal, almost like tendrils, the left side held back by a purple 'X' clip. Around her forehead was a golden headdress with five purple gens and a necklace with a skull-and-crossbones hanging at her chest. It wore a black and silver metal bikini set with multiple chains in her arms and legs. In it's hands a glowing purple ball, which appeared like fire, with a purple crystal in the centre hovered around her hands.

The Demon looked at the two of them, with an expression that looked afraid and confused. Wanda pulled away from Miranda and approached the Demon, which cautiously backed away.

"Hello." Wanda greeted with a small smile. "I'm Wanda. What's your name?"

" _I have no name._ " The Demon whispered, rotating her hands around the purple sphere.

"Oh, that's odd." Wanda muttered. "What are you doing here?"

" _David is going to die. Skyfall._ " The Demon told Wanda quietly, Wanda's eyes widening in fear.

"What? When? How!?" Wanda yelled, scaring the Demon and causing it to back away.

"Wanda." Miranda told her, pulling her back. "I remember you, Demon. Bring Noir back this instant." Miranda ordered. The Demon glared at Miranda, but obliged.

" _Noir..._ " The Demon whispered, and Noir's hand wrapped around the Demon's and flipped, bring Noir back.

"Wh-What happened?" She asked, and turned to Miranda. "It's David, he can't go to Skyfall!"

"Noir, calm down." Miranda told her, and knelt down to her height. "Tell me what you know."

* * *

Alex drove around a corner, accelerating towards a small allotment of shops and pulled over to the curb. He stopped the motorcycle, turning off the ignition as Vanessa immediately hopped off.

"What?" Alex asked, getting off the motorcycle too.

"I'm not sitting on that death machine for one more minute!" Vanessa exclaimed.

"Oh, come on, it's not _that_ bad." Alex defended.

"Maybe so, but I refuse to ride with _you_. You're a death sentence waiting to happen." Vanessa glared at him.

"Sorry." Alex muttered. "Right, let's have a look around for some metal. If we find a lot of metal, we'll come back later with a car." Alex told her, and the two of them split up. Alex entered a shop, after several attempts at picking the lock and instead broke the glass, unlocking it from the inside. He searched the shelves for anything metal, throwing them into the corner of the room. As he finished scanning the third roll, his scroll buzzed. Alex took out his scroll and answered it. "Hello?"

" _Alex, it's Miranda, where are you now?_ " Miranda asked, urgency in her voice.

"Oh, uh, me and Vanessa are at a bunch of shops, 30 miles from Cydonia. What's the matter?" Alex asked.

" _David and his team have gone to Skyfall, but I have been warned from Noir that he cannot go. How far are you from there?_ " Miranda asked.

"About three, maybe four hours drive." Alex told Miranda.

" _Okay, get Vanessa and go to Skyfall as fast as you can. You might catch up to them in time._ " Miranda told Alex.

"Right, I'll contact you when we've got them." Alex ended the call. He exited the shop and got onto the motorcycle, starting the engine and honked the horn. Vanessa exited a shop down the road, running over to him.

"What is it?" Vanessa asked.

"Get on, David's in trouble." Alex told her. She got on without question and Alex turned the motorcycle around, driving full speed towards Skyfall.

* * *

Indiana stopped the car as a gate outside an abandoned factory. He turned around to David, who was holding Anna's hand, comforting her as she breathed heavily. "I'm not seeing much choice here. They should have people on lookout, but if worst comes to worst, we can just ram it."

"No, there could be a truck o the other side, the crash could kill us." David objected.

"Well, we better think of something soon, or it's going to be too late for Anna and the baby-"

"Open the gate!" Someone yelled from the other side of the gate, and it's started splitting open. Indiana glanced to Kiley, and slowly drove into the compound. Around the factory was a brick wall a dozen or two yards away from the factory in all directions. A train track crossed along the west wall, just inside the wall, with both ends sealed off. Multiple vehicles were parked around the compound, along with dozens of shipping containers and a few train carts. Indiana and Kiley exited the car, holding their weapons down but ready, while David helped Anna out of the car, putting one of her arms over his shoulders.

"Hello, Cydonians." A man caught their attention, walking towards them with a smile. "I am the leader here, welcome to Skyfall!"

"Please...we need your help." David told him.

"I can see that." He noted, glancing at Anna, and at the rest of the team. "If you would follow me." He gestured them to follow him inside the factory, entering a long corridor with dozens of rooms to the left and right. David glanced in the rooms, looking at others from the community searching through items on tables.

"What are they doing?" David asked.

"Oh, we find supplies around the factory all the time, we've only been here a few months and only had time to search for a week or two, at best." He told David as they reached a room at the end, they entered and he sat at his desk. "My name is Al Phal, leader of Skyfall, I was picked to be leader because of my service in the Atlesian Army to better serve as a commander of the community. Here are my credentials for evidence." He handed Indiana a black card holder, who flipped it open and hummed, handing it to David. He looked at it and glanced at Al, handing it back to him.

"I'm sorry to sound disrespectful, but we need a doctor. I was told there is one here." David told Al.

"Yes, we do, an Obstetrician to be precise, so you're in luck. Unfortunately, he is not here right now, but will be back soon. If you'd like to go to one of the rooms that are unoccupied, I'll let him know that you're here. Just go to the seventh one on the right, can't miss it." Al told them.

"Thank you." David thanked, and the four of them turned and walked towards the room. As they walked along, David couldn't help but look at the people inside the rooms, scavenging the supplies. An old orange rucksack, a couple of pistols, a wallet full of lien, red fingerless gloves, a pair of boots, a dogs collar, a glowing rock-

"Kiley, get Anna." David told her, letting go of Anna, Kiley quickly catching her. David grabbed one of the citizens of Skyfall, summoned a dust pistol and pointed at his head.

"Hey, get off me!" He yelled, David tightening his grip.

"David, what are you doing?" Indiana asked.

"Where did you get the rock?" David asked, gesturing to the glowing rock. "Tell me now!"

"Hey, hey, calm down." Al told him. "What seems to be the matter?"

"The rock. Where did you get it?" David demanded.

"The rock? Found it in the bag of some blonde kid. He'd been torn apart by Grymm." He explained.

"Bullshit! I know who owns that rock, and he's a fucking android!" David yelled, pointing the gun at Al. He chuckled.

"Guess you're smarter than you look. Seize them!" Al commanded. David fired his pistol at Al, who ducked into one of the rooms. The man he was pinning took out a knife and tried to stab David, but missed and promptly got shot in the head by David.

"Run!" David ordered, summoning a dust assault rifle while Indiana raised his, the two of them firing down the corridor. Kiley held onto Anna, who was using all her willpower to keep moving toward the exit. Kiley gasped as the door was flooded by citizens, raising their guns to them. Kiley slammed her shoulder into a door, pulling Anna in and helping her onto the floor while David and Indiana slammed the door shut, putting their weight on to keep it closed.

"David, the baby's coming now!" Kiley told him.

"You can deliver one, right? You're a woman too." Indiana told her.

"That doesn't mean I know how!" Kiley screamed at him. "But I'll try, but I'll need time."

"I'll get you it." David told her.

"No...I need you here..." Anna whispered.

"I need to make sure nobody get's in. Indiana, do not open this door until you stop hearing fighting outside." David ordered him, who nodded. David took a deep breath, and pulled open the door, pushing back a dozen people with his telekinesis, rolling into the opposite room, Indiana slamming the door shut.

"Okay Anna, just take deep breaths, let's get this done as fast as possible." Kiley told Anna, who nodded.

David slammed a man into the wall, slamming his right fist into his face a few times, kneed him in the chest and punched him to the ground, falling down dead. David grabbed a woman and slammed her head into the wall, cracking her head open, and causing her to fall to the floor. He summoned his dust assault rifle and fired out of the room, down the corridor and killing at least a dozen Skyfall citizens. He ran out of the room, yelling as he continued to fire the weapon, gunning down more and more people until he reached the room at the end, dissipating the rifle as two people hiding in the room lunged at him with knifes. He kneed one of them int he chest and took out his dagger, slicing his neck, and stabbed the other person in the head.

"Push!" Kiley instructed, Anna crying in pain as she pushed again. "I can see the head! One more, Anna!"

"Open the door!" David yelled, Indiana moving back as David limped in.

"We all good?" Indiana asked, slamming the door shut again.

"For now, they've fallen back, but more will come-"

"Waaaaa!" David turned towards Anna and Kiley, Anna leaning back in relief while Kiley held onto a small baby in her arms. David grabbed a towel off the wall and handed to to Kiley, who wrapped it around the crying baby. She turned to David, tears in her eyes.

"It's a boy." She told David, holding the baby up to him. David slowly took the baby, holding onto his son. The babies crying had stopped and he looked up at David. He had two different coloured eyes, the left eye a dark brown, exactly like Anna's, and the right one gold, like when David uses his semblance. a small amount of brown air could be seen on his head.

"My son." David whispered, looking down at the baby. He knelt down next to Anna, who weakly leant up and looked at the baby.

"Oh, he's beautiful." Anna said, tearing up.

"I guess I win, it was a boy." David told Anna.

"I get to name him though." Anna reminded.

"Anything in mind?" David asked.

"Not yet." Anna said, gently touching the baby's cheek. "I love you, David."

"I love you too." David told her.

"Hey, I hate to ruin this moment, but we're still in a bad place." Indiana reminded.

"You're right. Anna, think you can walk?" David asked her.

"After literally just giving birth? Piece of cake." Anna told him, leaning up with the help of Kiley. "Indiana, lead the way to the car." Indiana nodded and opened the door, David following holding the baby, and Kiley and Anna behind him. Indiana walked out onto the courtyard, his weapon raised and glanced around the area for hostiles, bu looked clear. He gestured them to follow as they walked across the courtyard and past the train carts. Indiana stopped and looked at the ground, a large 'X' sprayed onto the floor.

"The hell?" He muttered.

"You know what they say, X marks the spot!" They turned to see Al on the roof, smirking at them. Indiana raised his weapon, but stopped when he saw two dozen men with sniper rifles point them down at them. "That's a good fella! Now, drop all of your weapons, now!" Reluctantly, Indiana dropped his assault rifle, David removed his lightsabre and daggers and dust-infused gloves, dropping them onto the ground and Kiley put don her sniper rifle and clicked the gauntlets, eight blades falling and clattering onto the ground. "Someone put a magnetic brace on the cyborg." Al ordered, and a man attached a piece of metal to his arm, which locked up and clenched. "Now, you will enter train cart 13 when I tell you to, in that order. First the leader, put the baby on the floor and walk up to the steps."

With no other choice, David carefully put his baby down and walked over to the steps leading into a train cart, holding a cold glare at Al the whole time. "Now the cyborg!" Indiana followed, his metal arm locked in place and stood behind David. "Now the sniper!" Kiley slowly released Anna, who told her she'll be okay, and walked over to David and Indiana, standing behind him. "Now the samurai! And get your baby, no use keeping it on the floor!" Anna glared at Al and weakly picked up her baby, walking to the back of the team. "Now enter the train cart and close it behind you, try anything and we'll kill you all." David walked up the steps, opening the train cart door and entered, sparing one last glance at Al, followed by Indiana, then Kiley, and finally Anna and the baby. David took the baby as Anna leant down against the wall, the train cart door closing behind them, shrouding them in darkness. The four of them stood in silence, not knowing what to do next.

"David?"

* * *

 **Replies to Reviews:**

 **TheOtherSanics: Thanks for the compliment, I wasn't too happy with the chapter, but if you're happy then I'm happy too. Don't worry, the James Bond reference will come soon, it almost happened in this chapter, but it'll be another time. Thanks for Reviewing!**

* * *

 **So, there we have it. The end of the story. Well, besides the Epilogue, but that won't come around for a while, not until the next couple of stories have come out. Next will either be the Epsilon-led story or Ultra-led story, still debating which one. So keep and eye out for that.**

 **Just a note, I have created a wikia based on this universe that you can use to find out about the characters, locations and most importantly, physical appearances.**

 **The website is:** **the-xiao-long-chronicles .wikia wiki/ Main_Page**

 **(Remove the spaces in the URL so it will work)**

 **Thank you so much for everyone who has read the story, and I'll see you all in another story!**


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